Fr Brian D'Arcy:' I felt like giving it all up when the church tried to gag me

Sean MacDonald
Irish Independent
Oct. 26, 2012

THE well-known broadcaster and priest Fr Brian D'Arcy contemplated leaving the priesthood following his censure by a Catholic Church watchdog, a new BBC documentary reveals.

The documentary, titled 'The Turbulent Priest', which is due to be screened by BBC NI on Monday evening, provides an insight into the high-profile cleric's dilemma as he confronts his censure by the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith and grapples with some of its thorny issues such as its teachings on clerical celibacy.

He also openly discusses his personal experience of clerical abuse as a young seminarian.

Last April it emerged that the Passionist priest had been censured by the the Catholic Church's doctrinal watchdog, the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith in Rome, which was angered by his criticism of the church's mishandling of clerical sexual abuse and his views on celibacy for priests, its teachings on contraception and homosexuality.

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