European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - August 27, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Debate Over the celibacy Rule / in it a v to i f f a Jui a a not Terence dash a former Benedictine Monk second from right Whf his wife Millicent end sons Martin and Paulis coordinating an Effort to change the tradition of the celibate Priesthood in the United states. By Ari Goldman new York times to t. Is a roman Catholic priest who like other Catholic priests around the a world took a vow of celibacy when he was ordained. For the last 10 years however Leo to has had a sexual relationship with a woman. Three years ago he married her and legally adopted her three children. As a military chaplain he continues to function As a priest but neither his superiors nor most of the people to whom he ministers know he is married Quot id be out tomorrow if my religious superiors found out Quot he said declining to give identifying details about where he works and what religious order he belongs to. Quot its not the Job i m worried about. I could find another Job tomorrow. Its just that i love being a priest and i think i am a better priest because i am a married  while he keeps his dual life secret Leo t. Has joined a growing International Effort to change the tradition of a celibate Catholic Priesthood. He is a member of the National association for a married Priesthood which says it has 10,000 members half of them former priests who have married. The other half Are Active clergy and Lay people. Leo to is one of a handful of Active priests in the group who have surreptitious marriages most who married left the Active Priesthood. This group which held a convention in late june in san Jose calif., and an International umbrella group which met in the Netherlands in August maintain that the Church s Only Hope for the future is with a married clergy they note that the number of priests has been declining for 25 years while the number of catholics is growing and fewer men Are enrolling in seminaries. Pope John Paul ii has consistently opposed changing the tradition of a celibate Priesthood although the Church recognizes the Validity of a married Priesthood in its affiliated Eastern rites. The Church s position is that celibacy a Church tradition rather than a Church Law is a sign that commitment to Christ must sometimes go beyond All Normal human ties. In practical terms Church leaders argue celibacy eliminates the competing demands of family life allowing priests to concentrate on their pastoral duties. Although opinion polls have shown that the celibacy requirement is the greatest obstacle to recruiting priests Many Church leaders have consistently attributed the decline in priests to broader changes in the Church and society including declining prestige for priests among catholics and the unwillingness of people in Genera to make personal sacrifices. While in California the american group which also Calls itself Corpus met for the first time in a decade with representatives of the nation s Bishops. No promises were made but Corpus members expressed the Hope that their request for a married Priesthood would eventually be taken up at the Vatican which has the sole Power to change the status of priests. Corpus latin for Quot body Quot is a word Rich in symbolism for catholics As in Corpus Christi the body of Christ. As recently As May the Pope told a group of priests and nuns that Quot the people always expect to see in you a Model Quot who is Quot consecrated to the lord in a life of  the Rev. Frank Lynch who was ordained 33 years ago said celibacy which dates to the third Century can have a Quot very positive value if it is lived in. Imitation of Christ  Quot it frees you for total dedication Quot said Lynch who is pastor of St. Nicholas Church in the Williamsburg Section of Brooklyn Quot you Don t have the obligation of taking care of your own family but an obligation to the larger family. That after All is Why we Are called a father Quot the relationship Between a priest and his Parish the pastor said is analogous to a marriage. Quot ideally if it is a Good marriage there is giving and taking and the life of the priest is enriched Quot he said. As for celibacy he added Quot i made my commitment and never had a problem with . A priests who attended the Corpus convention however said celibacy was what drove them out of the Active ministry. Most said they were not otherwise disillusioned. Terence Dosh a Benedictine Monk for 20 years before leaving to marry said the Abbey where he lived a no longer provided me with the intimacy i  Dosh now lives in Minneapolis with his wife Millicent Adams Dosh a former nun of the poor Clare Sisters and their two sons Martin and Paul. Or. Dosh a Church historian by training works As the full time National coordinator of Corpus. Or. Richard a. Schoenherr a sociologist who has studied the american Priesthood for More than 20 years estimates that 13,200 priests have resigned since 1966, a vast majority to marry. Schoenherr a sociology professor at the University of Wisconsin at Madison said the Quot big exodus Quot came in the eight years after the second Vatican Council s close in 1965 and continued although at a slower rate in the 1980s. Quot the Council introduced a new approach to Christian marriage Quot he said Quot and Many began to rethink their commitment to celibacy on that  before the Council he said celibacy was seen As a Quot higher form of Christian holiness Quot than marriage. He predicted that the Catholic Church would allow a married Priesthood Quot within a decade or  without it he said Quot the Church stands to lose its most important traditions the eucharist the other sacraments and the hierarchical governing  Only priests can consecrate the eucharist the bread and wine that symbolize the body and blood of Jesus in the sacrament of holy communion. According to the 1990 official Catholic directory there Are 53,111 priests in the United states Down from 58,632 in 1965. In that time the number of catholics has grown to 57 million from about 45 million the umbrella organization of married priests the International federation of groups of married priests with affiliates in 24 countries said a similar exodus was taking place around the world. The group estimates that internationally 100,000 priests have left in the last 25 years. Corpus which was founded in 1975. Says it is working for a Quot renewed  As a first step it would like to see priests who have left to marry returned to full service in the Church it also advocates the right of priests to marry the ordination of married men and the ordination of women. A new York times lbs news poll taken in 1987 showed that a majority of America s Parish priests believe they should be permit led to marry. Corpus members Point out that the Church teaches that priests remain priests forever even if they resign their ministry or break their vows. Leo however has no been Able to bring himself to leave the Active ministry Quot i have a number of graduate degrees Quot he said Quot i could get a Job As a therapist or a teacher without any problem but i am a priest and i love being a Peest Quot he said to had another reason Tor remaining Quot i Here were 13 Guys in my class at Seminary and i m Iho Only one stil in the Priesthood Quot  to s Job As a military chaplain in the South makes managing his dual existence possible he said if to were in the Quot  Iii Quot of a. Parish he said living m a rectory and receiving the Quot meager Quot salary of diocesan priests Quot a would have left Long ago Quot whal also makes his arrangement possible he said is that military chaplains have a competitive salary As Well As mobility and free Lime Leo i spends the week at his military base and the weekends with his Tarraf it think i am a better priest because i am a married Man. A Leo t. Roman Catholic priest monday August 27, 1990 the stars and stripes Page 13