The decision, which was announced Sunday by Bishop Marco Brunetti of the northern Italian diocese of Alba, who praised the “great transparency and sense of responsibility” of 44-year-old Father Tomas Hlavaty, who will now be formally removed from the priesthood and returned to the lay state.
The case has renewed debate over priestly celibacy, in part because, by all accounts, Hlavaty was a popular pastor whose departure has been publicly lamented by Catholics in the six small towns he served, including the mayor of one of those communities.
In an interview with La Repubblica, Italy’s most widely read daily newspaper, Hlavaty described the circumstances that led to his decision.
Hlavaty arrived in Italy some 20 years ago, he said, and discerned a vocation and began theological studies, being ordained in April 2015. After a series of other assignments, he took up his role as pastor to the six communities in the Alta Langa area, where he also served as an assistant for youth members of Catholic Action and in the diocesan office for pastoral outreach to youth and the promotion of vocations.
“I loved being a priest, and I loved the people around me,” Hlavaty said, adding that he’s confident “my true friendships will survive” his exit from the priesthood.
Along the way, he said, he met a woman with whom he fell in love, who unexpectedly became pregnant and is expected to give birth in December.
Prenatal diagnoses, Hlavaty said, have revealed that their unborn child has a serious heart defect, which will require a series of complicated surgeries after birth. Nevertheless, he said, he and his partner are determined to give the child the chance to “discover this marvelous world that’s life.”
“Already at three, four months, [the child] moved, there’s life there,” he said. “Please, never choose abortion.”
According to reports in the local media, Hlavaty had been absent from his parish for the last two months, with the explanation that he was dealing with unspecified health issues. He now said he and the woman with whom he’s in love plan to move out of the area, where he’ll seek work to support his family.
“For the future, I hope to be a good father, even if I have very limited experience,” Hlavaty said. “But I’m sure of one thing: I’m madly in love with the person with whom I want to spent the rest of my life, and having a child is the most beautiful news a man can have. I’ll give it my all.”
Mayor Piercarlo Biestro of Feisoglio, one of the six communities Hlavaty served, wished him well, while adding that he’s also disappointed.
“Not for Father Tomas, whom we all wish well,” Biestro said, “but because he’s always been appreciated by our communities, above all by the young people, for whom he gave a lot.”
Brunetti called on Catholics to support Hlavaty and his new family in prayer.
“We’re called, in our prayers and in our feelings, to support those who find themselves in difficulty, and to continue together to build a Church which, despite its human frailty, is ever more a sign of hope,” he said.