The BBC is reporting that a married priest is saying that priests shouldn’t be married. Two things –

1) Is this really news? A priest agrees with the Church? Sadly, maybe it is.

2) I really hope his wife isn’t reading the newspaper or he’s totally couching it for the foreseeable future.

A married Roman Catholic priest from Burnley has said he believes the church is correct to prefer single celibate clergy in their parishes.

Father Paul Blackburn is the most recently ordained priest into the Salford Diocese.

He is married with three children.

A former Anglican minister, Father Paul embraced Catholicism after growing dissatisfied with the direction the Church of England was taking on some moral issues.

He said single priests are better placed to serve God by giving their entire life to his ministry.

I’m joking a bit about this but it’s actually a nice piece about a new priest if you can set aside the shock of the writer that the priest isn’t pushing for married priests.

Wait. Is it shock or disappointment?