But the pontiff also said he remained open to investigating the possibility of ordaining older, well-respected married men in remote locations where clergy are in short supply.

Speaking to Reuters and AFP reporters, he said: “Personally, I think that celibacy is a gift to the Church. I am not in agreement (with those who say) optional celibacy should be permitted.”

The Catholic leader spoke on-board the papal plane as he returned to the Vatican from Panama, where he had been attending a gathering of young Catholics – World Youth Day.

Campaigners including members of the Movement for Married Clergy have argued that rules on celibacy have been deterring men from joining the priesthood.

Clergy in the Eastern Catholic, Orthodox and Anglican churches are allowed to marry.

In 2017, Premier reported how Pope Francis requested a debate over whether married men should be allowed to serve as priests in Brazil’s Amazon region.

There is no formal doctrinal barrier to married men becoming priests, meaning, theoretically, the rules could be changed.

An inquiry into child sexual abuse in Australia recommended in 2017 that the Catholic Church consider introducing voluntary celibacy for clergy.

Stay up to date with the latest news stories from…

The (now independent) Member of Parliament for Peterborough was found guilty of perverting the court of justice following a retrial in December.

The Old Bailey heard evidence the MP was texting as well as speeding on the evening of Monday 24th July last year, during the summer recess.

The 35-year-old solicitor was clocked going 41mph in a 30mph zone in the village of Thorney near Peterborough.

The prosecution alleged she went on to collude with her brother Festus to avoid a speeding ticket.

The court was told she was sent a Notice of Intended Prosecution (NIP) to fill out, but it was sent back naming the driver as Aleks Antipow, an acquaintance of Festus, who was away visiting his parents in Russia.

Festus, 34, from Cambridge, pleaded guilty to three counts of perverting the course of justice over speeding, including for the July 24 incident.

The siblings will be sentenced at the Old Bailey by Mr Justice Stuart-Smith on Tuesday.

In the wake of the guilty verdict, Onasanya was expelled from the Labour Party and has launched an appeal against her conviction.

If she is sentenced for a year or more, she will automatically lose her seat and if the sentence is less than a year then she could face a recall petition – where her constituency could recall her from parliament and trigger a by-election if 10 per cent electorate sign the petition.

A by-election could be a close and…

The Member of Parliament for Peterborough was found guilty of perverting the court of justice following a retrial in December.

The Old Bailey heard evidence the MP was texting as well as speeding on the evening of Monday 24th July last year, during the summer recess.

The 35-year-old solicitor was clocked going 41mph in a 30mph zone in the village of Thorney near Peterborough.

The prosecution alleged she went on to collude with her brother Festus to avoid a speeding ticket.

The court was told she was sent a Notice of Intended Prosecution (NIP) to fill out, but it was sent back naming the driver as Aleks Antipow, an acquaintance of Festus, who was away visiting his parents in Russia.

Festus, 34, from Cambridge, pleaded guilty to three counts of perverting the course of justice over speeding, including for the July 24 incident.

The siblings will be sentenced at the Old Bailey by Mr Justice Stuart-Smith on Tuesday.

In the wake of the guilty verdict, Onasanya was expelled from the Labour Party and has launched an appeal against her conviction.

If she is sentenced for a year or more, she will automatically lose her seat and if the sentence is less than a year then she could face a recall petition – where her constituency could recall her from parliament and trigger a by-election if 10 per cent electorate sign the petition.

A by-election could be a close and unwelcome match for…

The Christian mother-of-five had been sentenced to death for blasphemy, but the court decision means she will be free to leave the country.

More to follow.

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Wilberforce Publications – which forms part of the Christian Concern campaign group – will launch ‘Same-sex parenting research: a critical assessment’ in central London on Tuesday afternoon.

The book was penned by Walter Schumm, a professor of applied family science at Kansas State University in the US, who sought to examine the impact of same-sex parenting on children.

He said his conclusions refute the assumption the outcomes of children raised by gay couples are no different from those brought up by heterosexual couples.

Professor Schumm, who has written extensively on parenthood, drew upon 400 studies concerning same-sex parenting (SSP) in compiling his findings.

This Tuesday will see the launch of Walter Schumm’s Same-Sex Parenting Research. Schumm’s extensive research lead him to question the widely-held view that same-sex parenting is equivalent to parenting by a heterosexual couple. Get a copy here https://t.co/EWgx5MJYCv

— Christian Concern (@CConcern) January 28, 2019

He told Premier: “More recent studies seem to be finding that the children [raised by same-sex couples] are less emotionally able to deal with stress.”

The academic continued: “It was claimed in US courts that same-sex couples were more stable – or as stable – as heterosexual parents…

“However, most actual data suggested otherwise, that…