The Vatican has finally addressed the issue of Catholic priests who father children, as the offspring of clergy speak out about the pain of secrecy. A commission created by Pope Francis to tackle clerical sexual abuse will develop guidelines for dioceses on how to respond to the needs of priests' children and their mothers.
Vincent Doyle, a psychotherapist from Galway, spent weekends as a boy with a priest he believed was his godfather. It was only years later, while looking through old poems, that he asked his mother directly: 'He was my father, wasn't he?' Doyle now runs Coping International, an organisation supporting priests' children.
John Anderson, 72, shared his story for the first time after contacting Doyle. He learned at 18 that his father was a French priest, but never knew him. His birth certificate still lists his father as unknown. Anderson says the secrecy contributed to years of mental illness and difficulty being a father to his own daughters.
Irish bishops published guidelines this year, hailed as a global model, stating that a child's wellbeing must be the first consideration and that priest fathers must face up to their responsibilities. Veteran Vatican journalist John Allen calls this an example of the 'Francis effect', encouraging open discussion.
Doyle wants the pope to personally confront the issue, saying that imposing secrecy on a child is a form of abuse. 'The big problem with children of priests is that they technically don't exist,' he says.
