Priest who leaves ministry after fathering a child must be financially supported

The Irish bishops have said a priest who leaves ministry after fathering a child must be financially supported by their diocese as they transition to the lay state to fulfil their parental role.

The bishops’ instruction has been welcomed by Vincent Doyle, founder of Coping International, a support group for the offspring of Catholic priests and Religious.

Doyle, who is a psychotherapist, discovered when he was 28 that his godfather, Fr John Doyle, was actually his father.

Speaking to The Tablet, he said the bishops’ move would have worldwide significance for the Church because it means bishops’ conferences in other countries would have to follow suit.

“What the bishops have done is say to priests living a secret, there is a better way of handling this situation.”

He said the issue of priests fathering children, despite their vow of celibacy, is “a lot more common than you might think”.

“Priests having children is inevitable,” he warned and argued that the “remedy” is married priests.

According to Doyle the pressure placed on women in a relationship with a priest and the children conceived to remain silent is “effectively coercive control, which is a crime”.

He warned that even today, religious orders and dioceses continue to try to impose secrecy through confidentiality deals when making settlements. “It infuriates me that people think this is ok,” he said.

Doyle is calling for a more child-centred approach by the Vatican and he said the Church must rid itself of the mentality of protecting the institution.

“There is a systemic cover-up of a historic and a present-day issue and the Church outside Ireland is not doing enough. The Vatican is not doing enough. The Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors has done nothing to help the children concerned. I have been working alongside the Commission for five years and they have written just two letters to me.”