Two Belgian bishops have openly questioned mandatory celibacy for Roman Catholic priests, rekindling a debate within the scandal-hit church.The bishop of Hasselt, Patrick Hoogmartens, on Monday joined the bishop of Bruges, Jozef De Kesel, in saying married men should not automatically be excluded from priesthood.
The comments come amid a scandal over sex abuse among the clergy which has shaken the Belgian church to its core and after a steady decline of in the number of priests over the past decades.
A spokesman for Archbishop Andre-Mutien Leonard, the head of Belgium's Roman Catholic Church, said in a reaction that any discussion of structural issues affecting the church should be held at a global level, and not be limited to Belgium.
SIC: CP/INT'L