PressMediaWire.com (Press Release Distribution) – May 20,2009 –

(PressMediaWire) – Marion, MA � The newly appointed archbishop of New York recently added fuel to the debate over clerical celibacy.

Archbishop Timothy Dolan stated in an interview with New York�s CBS affiliate that while he is in favor of the Church�s celibacy requirements, he believes that open debate and discussion is called for.

�Priest celibacy, while a jewel, is not Church doctrine,� Archbishop Dolan told the station. �Could discussion lead to a change in discipline? Sure it could.�

Hearing a high-ranking member of the clergy support open discussion is just what some advocates for change have been looking for.

�It�s about time that someone higher up in the Church admitted that debate on the topic is healthy,� says Father Ameen (not his real name), author of Confessions of a Passionate Priest.

Father Ameen has chosen to keep his identity secret to avoid retribution for his book, which chronicles his love affair with a married woman and the loss of his parish as a result.

�Eventually the Church will have to realize that without a change in their stance on celibacy, they will quickly run out of priests,� says Father Ameen, and he may be right. The Archdiocese of New York ordained just three new priests so far in 2009.

In Confessions of a Passionate Priest, Father Ameen questions several aspects of the Church�s stance on celibacy, including:
� A refusal to acknowledge that intimacy is a basic human need.
� Inconsistent rules�e.g., Eastern Rite priests can marry.
� A �look the other way� policy that ignores most rule breakers.
� The Church�s tendency to only punish priests whose relationships have become public knowledge.

�The Church needs to realize that celibacy as a requirement is doomed to failure,� says Father Ameen.

Father Ameen�s book is available at the Amazon, Barnes and Noble and Borders Websites.

(Confessions of a Passionate Priest by Father Ameen; ISBN: 0-9816892-0-5; $14.95; 224 pages; 5�� x 8��; softcover; East Mountain Books)