Catholic Priests Have Fathered 50,000 Children Across the World

Details have emerged that Catholic priests across the world have sired more than 50,000 children against their vow for celibacy.

This revelation has been made by Vincent Doyle who formed a campaign group dubbed 'Coping International' to bring together the children of Catholic priests.

Doyle himself is a son of a Catholic priest and his group currently has members in 175 countries.

New York Times quotes Doyle saying that children fathered by priests are so many that the Vatican has formulated rules for priests who father illegitimate offspring.

Doyle admits to seeing a document detailing the dogmas when he traveled to Rome for his campaign. 

A Vatican spokesperson has confirmed the existence of rules, explaining that they are in place for the 'protection of the child'.  

"I can confirm that these guidelines exist. It is an internal document," Vatican spokesman Alessandro Gisotti says.

Gisotti notes that under the rules, a priest who sired children is asked to leave the priesthood and "assume his responsibilities as a parent by devoting himself exclusively to the child."

When being ordained, Catholic priests vow to maintain a life of celibacy by refraining from any form of sexual activity.

However, Catholic priests continue to be implicated in sexual abuse scandals around the world. There are also many cases of consensual sex involving priests.  

In the past few months, Roman Catholic dioceses in the US have made public the names of over 1,000 priests accused of sexually abusing children.