Catholic Priest Fathers have been discovered to have sired 50,000 children despite their divine vow of celibacy.
It is revealed that men of cloth have not only been busy with matters of religion, but have also been doing the very thing that goes against what they stand for as priests.
According to the New York times, the surprising statistic was arrived at following an initiative birthed by Vincent Doyle – an Irish physiotherapist who only recently discovered his biological father was a respected priest.
Following the discovery, Doyle decided to create a global support group which would unite people whose fathers are priests.
One would be forgiven to think Doyle’s mission would hit a snag from the start but as at Wednesday, February 20, he has already received responses from 175 countries. As a matter of fact, there are so many children who were fathered by priests worldwide that that the Vatican has come up with a set of rules for priests who have illegitimate offspring.
These rules, according to Alessandro Gisotti, a Vatican spokesperson, were primarily meant to protect the child from a number of factors including societal stigma.
The fact that guidelines to protect the children actually exists was proof enough for Doyle that there are hundreds, even thousands of people worldwide in similar circumstances. Under the secret rules, a priest who has had a child is usually expected to leave priesthood to devote himself to being a dad.
These latest findings come even as incidences of sexual abuse by bishops and priests continue to be on the rise worldwide. Sadly, majority of these cases involve priests taking advantage of underage individuals, at times without their consent. The latest priest involved in such a scandal was British Francis Mc Dermott who was recently convicted on child abuse offences.