Pope Francis receives ‘celibacy appeal’

Letter from 26 women calls for change

Pope Francis has received a letter from a group of Italian women urging him to rethink priestly celibacy.

According to a report carried by Vatican Insider, the letter, signed by 26 women who claim to be in relationships with priests and monks, calls on the Pope to recognise both the reality of the love the women feel and the difficulties caused by the celibacy rule for them and the religious connected with them in living their relationships "fully".

"Very little is known about the devastating suffering of a woman who is deeply in love with a priest," the letter states. "We humbly place our suffering at your feet in the hope that something may change, not just for us, but for the good of the entire Church.

"We love these men, they love us and in most cases, despite all efforts to renounce it, one cannot manage to give up such a solid and beautiful bond. Unfortunately, this brings with it all the pain of not being able ëto live it fullyí. This continuous giving and then letting go is soul destroying. When this enormous pain leads to a definitive separation, the consequences are no less devastating and both parties are often scarred for life. The only other alternatives are either for the priest to abandon the priesthood or for the relationship to carry on in secret."

Each signatory of the letter offered a first name and last initial and town place-name, but nothing more, towards preserving a measure of anonymity.