john bunyan - I think that you'll find that it is celibacy that is required (I was going to state issue but there is no issue from celibacy). Therefore married or gays in a sexual relationship are not regarded as being acceptable. I'm not a Roman Catholic so may be wrong. I think that they are wrong about women and many other things.

The problem with this thread is that it will re-open homophobic matters, anti-religion, etc which have been rather over done recently.

These allegations aren't going to disappear under the mosaic with a new Pope, the Church of Rome is going to have to address things openly and consider some unthinkable changes for the 21st century or become increasingly irrelevant to all except the unquestioningly loyal and superstitiously devout.

Yesterday they were saying on the radio that the resignation of O'Brien should signal to some American Cardinals to consider the same action. It looks like some more high ranking clerics will have to fall yet.

"The problem with this thread is that it will re-open homophobic matters, anti-religion, etc which have been rather over done recently."

How can such subjects be "rather over done", they're pretty big issues, aren't they? I would have thought that things like homophobia were the very subjects that are worth re-opening time and again, in the hope that in-depth discussions might alter the way some people think about them.

A debate is a discussion in which opposing arguments are put forward and examined - it's what we're here for.

... I just knew I shouldn't have put that knicker on the Scottish Cardinal [to be next Pope] ... I'll stick to the horses in future ;o]