Curate revelations prompt questions about celibacy

Revelations about Crossmolina curate raise question for Church about compulsory celibacy


Áine Ryan

A MAYO priest has said the recent revelations about a Crossmolina curate who was involved in a gay relationship, which became public due to a court case over the ownership of a house,  raises serious questions for the Church about compulsory celibacy and sexuality. The forced secrecy of such relationships can ultimately be ‘destructive’, he said.  
Speaking yesterday (Monday), Father Kevin Hegarty, a Mayo News columnist, said he  ‘didn’t think there was any great shock or horror about this story amongst the laity or local communities’.
“I think people are able to judge between the clerical sex abuse of children, which they naturally find abhorrent, and adult consensual relationships,” Kevin Hegarty said.
He continued: “I suppose the story reveals that Irish society now has a greater acceptance of homosexuality. I think this was revealed recently when the Rose of Tralee, Maria Walsh, revealed she was a lesbian. I do think, however, it raises questions for the [Catholic] Church about priesthood, sexuality and the imposition of compulsory celibacy. Until the Church deals with this matter, relationships, whether heterosexual or homosexual, will be secretive. And what is secretive can often be destructive.”

Letter
A LETTER by the Bishop of Killala, John Fleming, which was read in all the 22 parishes in the diocese on Sunday, stated that news published from a court case Fr Rosbotham took against his former lover, ex-Franciscan, Hugo Crawford, had come as ‘a complete shock to me, to the priests of the diocese and I am sure to all of you’.
The shock revelations came into the public domain because Fr Rosbotham sued Hugo Crawford for the rights to a cottage.
Bishop Fleming announced on Sunday that the curate was now taking time to ‘reflect on his life, on the commitments he made and on his ministry’.
Speaking at Mass in Kilmoremoy, Ballina, he said: “For the past 17 years, Fr Gabriel has ministered in this diocese, in your parishes, and he has received great appreciation for his pastoral care, his ability to relate to the young, his effectiveness as a preacher and, in particular, for his singing at Mass.
“Since the court case ended I have met with Fr Gabriel and he has decided to take some time to himself, away from the diocese, to reflect on his life, on the commitments he made, and on his ministry, as well as to think about the future. I know that you will join with me in praying for him, as he seeks God’s guidance for the way forward,” Bishop Fleming said. Dr Fleming remarked that  he was deeply aware of the shock felt by many parishioners as a result of the revelations that were made during the court case.
“I am offering this Mass for all of you and for all those hurt, distressed or disillusioned by what has happened,” he said.
Last week a court ruled that Fr Gabriel was entitled to a 27 percent share of a bungalow situated outside Mountcharles, in Co Donegal, which he and Mr Crawford had shared on and off between 1994 and 2002.
The court heard that the men began a relationship during the 1980s which had ended in 2002. Making his ruling last week, Judge Keenan Johnson told Donegal Town Circuit Court that he had calculated ownership of the house based on how much money he believed each party had contributed to the property. Fr Rosbotham had claimed a 50 percent share in the house.