A Roman Catholic priest runs afoul of his bishop over celibacy

By ROD USHER

hen a new Roman Catholic priest came to Pedrogao Grande, in the green hills of central Portugal, six years ago, the village got two fathers in one. Padre Carlos Costa was father of a two-year-old daughter he'd conceived with a woman in another parish where he had been stationed earlier. Hardly the first Catholic priest whose celibacy has come unstuck, what made Father Carlos unusual if not unique is that he chose to acknowledge paternity rather than leave his child in the position of others around the world who call the local priest Uncle instead of Dad. Equally remarkable was the fact that the church agreed. From his palace 60 km away in the city of Coimbra--which has one of the oldest universities in Europe--Bishop Joao Alves had said yes, Father Carlos could give the child his name, have her for visits, help her financially and follow her education. Where once Father Carlos might have been a candidate for the whipping post that still stands beside the Pedrogao Grande church, enlightenment won the day.

Or did it? Last month, Father Carlos was dismissed by Bishop Alves, who withdrew the priest's authority to celebrate Mass at Pedrogao or at the two other churches under his responsibility in the nearby villages of Vila Ficaia and Graca. A substitute priest was named for the 4,000 parishioners. The reason? Celibacy, or rather the alleged lack of it.

The bishop's decision caused an uproar in Pedrogao Grande, where most of the 600 congregation members banded behind "their" priest, blockading the church on Sundays and preventing a substitute from celebrating Mass. At one point the Republican National Guard had to be called in to restore order. At the other two churches there have been similar, if less heated, standoffs. Bishop Alves has received a 3,500-signature petition pleading for the return of Father Carlos, plus a demonstration in front of his palace by parishioners who arrived in six buses and a long line of cars.

They argue that they all knew about the child, and that Father Carlos is a fine priest. In Pedrogao Grande, villagers talk about his founding of a folk-singing group, a band and a Boy Scouts troop, or the fact that he has turned some local youth away from drugs. The bishop's spokesman, Msgr. Leal Pedrosa, last week agreed, describing Father Carlos as "a natural leader." But he said the bishop felt obliged to act because "Father Carlos is not living his vow of celibacy." Which translates that the priest is alleged to be still in a relationship with the mother of his child. Mercifully, neither the girl,who is now 8, nor her mother has been drawn into the dispute so far.

Asked how the church can know about the 44-year-old priest's sex life, Msgr. Pedrosa will only say, "The bishop has not acted gratuitously. He has been extremely patient, but he had to balance misericordia with the known rules. There has been protest, but some people have criticised him for not having acted earlier."

Father Carlos, whose daughter attends the Catholic school behind the bishop's palace in Coimbra, says he is tired of being hounded by the media. But he made veiled criticism of the celibacy rule in his final sermon in Pedrogao Grande. "When a house is built on bad foundations, sooner or later it will collapse," he said. One local newspaper commented that it was "unclear if he was referring to the Catholic Church or to himself."

Services are suspended in Pedrogao Grande because of the angry pro-Carlos demonstrations. Resident Antonio da Silva Pena, an agricultural engineer, says he does not believe Father Carlos has celebrated his last Mass there. "He's done so much good here," says Pena. "I don't believe the accusation that he has been disobeying the celibacy rule. There is no proof of this claim."

The view of Pena--who says he spent 40 minutes with Bishop Alves trying to persuade him to change his decision--is shared by most of the faithful at the three churches, but not by everyone. Says one elderly, black-clad widow in Pedrogao,"I think Father Carlos made his relationship with the mother and their child too obvious. Bringing them here to the vicarage on holidays for example. There are two camps among the congregation. I don't want to give my name because if the other lot are capable of pushing and shoving a new priest, they're capable of beating me up."

At Maria's Tavern, a tiny bar with a concrete floor and low-beamed roof, owner Maria Inacio says, "I think all this is Father Carlos' own business. But I don't agree that people prevent a new priest holding Mass; it's not his fault." One of her customers for the local sausages she douses with alcohol then sets alight in a small clay dish says, "Priests, like bankers, have certain rules. They have to accept them."

Meanwhile, although Father Carlos may not hold Mass or perform other priestly functions, for the time being he still has his job at Pedrogao Grande's middle/secondary school. The subjects he teaches are Latin, religion--and morality.