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Hidden children of the Church

The secret children of supposedly celibate priests.

For decades, the Catholic Church rarely acknowledged the fact that supposedly ‘celibate’ priests were fathering children. The scale and impact of these secretive births is only now coming to light. The Vatican does not deny that there could be as many as 10,000 children of Catholic priests living around the world. Many who are now adults describe childhoods separated from their fathers, shrouded in secrecy and shame. For this Heart and Soul, three of them – Vincent Doyle, Michael McGuirk and Sarah Thomas – tell their stories.

Produced by Dan Tierney

Available now

27 minutes

Last on

Mon 2 Aug 2021 02:32GMT

Broadcasts

  • Fri 30 Jul 2021 03:32GMT
  • Fri 30 Jul 2021 12:32GMT
  • Sat 31 Jul 2021 15:32GMT
  • Sun 1 Aug 2021 08:32GMT
  • Sun 1 Aug 2021 09:32GMT
  • Sun 1 Aug 2021 18:32GMT
  • Sun 1 Aug 2021 23:32GMT
  • Mon 2 Aug 2021 02:32GMT

Podcast