500 Irish Priests Having Regular Sex With Women
 
At least 500 women in Ireland are conducting clandestine affairs with Roman Catholic priests, according to the leader of a support group set up to look after those in forbidden relationships
 
Bishop Pat Buckley said an extremely conservative estimate was that one in 10 of the 5,000 Catholic priests in Ireland enjoyed regular sex with women and some even referred to their clerical collar as the "bird catcher".
Studies had shown that 80 per cent of priests had broken their vows of celibacy on at least one occasion, he said.

When the statistics were widened to take in practising homosexuals, Bishop Buckley said up to 40 per cent of the Catholic clergy in Ireland were sexually active.

Counselling sessions organised by Bethany have disclosed that several women were unwittingly having sex with the same priest.

He claimed the church's hierarchy was prepared to turn a blind eye to sexual indiscretion because it was so widespread. "Bishops are caught between Rome and the priests and, of course, some of the bishops are in the same position (i.e. having relationships)," he said.

"From the top down it is hypocritical. We are preaching compulsory celibacy, but very few are living it."

Romances between an understanding man of God and an unloved wife were commonplace, as were priests and their housekeepers secretly living together as man and wife while relationships between priests and nuns were unofficially known as the "third way" by the church.

The Roman Catholic Church in Ireland declined to comment on Bishop Buckley's claims.

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1 Corinthians 7:1  ¶Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman.
2  Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband.
7  For I would that all men were even as I myself. But every man hath his proper gift of God, one after this manner, and another after that.
8  I say therefore to the unmarried and widows, It is good for them if they abide even as I.
9  But if they cannot contain, let them marry: for it is better to marry than to burn.
 

1 Timothy 4:1  ¶Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;
2  Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;
3  Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.
4  For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving:
5  For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.