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10,000 Requests. Such theoretical arguments for revision are underscored by ample evidence that many priests find celibacy their heaviest burden. Around the world about 60,000 priests have left the ministry, and many of them have married. Rome's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, formerly the Holy Office, has on file at least 10,000 applications from priests asking to be released from their vows. At the fourth session of the council, Latin American bishops privately circulated a survey of 1,000 Brazilian priests, indicating that a majority were unhappy about their unmarried state. Another Latin American survey suggested that many priests who found celibacy no problem were either emotionally immature or latent homosexuals.
In his study, New Zealand's Father O'Neill suggests that while celibacy should not be abandoned, priests unable to live up to the vow might be allowed to marry and then continue with their duties. Thanks to pressure from missionary bishops, the council did clear the way toward the ordination of married deacons, who could distribute Communion and give instruction but not hear confessions or celebrate Mass. Some theologians predict that eventually the church will let priests marry or not as they wish, requiring celibacy only for those with a vocation to a religious order.
* Is Celibacy Outdated?, by the German lay theologian Ida Gorres (Newman, 950); The Priest: Celibate or Married, by Pierre Hermand, a former French Dominican who was laicized by the Vatican at his own request (Helicon, $3.75); Priestly Celibacy and Maturity, by the Rev. David O'Neill of New Zealand (Sheed & Ward, $3.95).