A survey of Poland's Catholic priests has shown that a majority favour an end to celibacy, with some admitting they are already in a relationship with a woman.The research has dealt a blow to the country's reputation as a champion of traditional Roman Catholic values.
A survey of over 800 priests carried out by Professor Josef Baniak, a sociologist specialising in religious affairs, found that 53 per cent would like to have a wife, while 12 per cent admitted that they were involved in a relationship.
A further 30 per cent said that they had had a sexual relationship with a woman.
Prof Baniak concluded from earlier reasearch that the desire to have a relationship and a family was one of the key reasons for priests leaving the priesthood.
His latest research echoes an earlier survey carried out by the Tygodnik Powszechny newspaper. The conservative publication, aimed at Catholic intellectuals, found that as many as 60 per cent of priests wanted the right to marry.
Professor Baniak's survey, however, has come under fire from the Church. Bishop Wojciech Polak, chairman of the Church's Vocations Council, described it as "full of generalisations", adding that he found the "conclusions hard to agree with".
Despite the Church's counterattack, the figures in the survey reflect a general malaise in the Catholic Church in Poland that is struggling to ward off a liberal and secular culture sweeping from the West, often borne by Poles returning home from working abroad.
Although 95 per cent of Poles still describe themselves as Catholic and Poland remains proud that is was the the homeland of Pope John Paul II, the number of men joining seminaries is falling, and the Church's role as a central pillar of both Polish society and nation has started to wane.
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(Source: RCNC)