Pope Francis has been urged to lift the Catholic clergy's vow of celibacy by twenty-six Italian women who claim they are in love with Roman Catholic priests, Reuters reported.
In an extraordinary letter addressed to His Holiness, the women described the "devastating suffering" caused by the church's ban on priests being able to have sex or get married.
According to UK MailOnline, the unnamed women claim to be a "small sample" of believers who are being forced to "live in silence" because of their relationship.
"Dear Pope Francis, we are a group of women from all over Italy (and further afield) and are writing to you to break down the wall of silence and indifference that we are faced with every day," the letter published on the authoritative website Vatican Inside reads.
"Each of us is in, was or would like to start a relationship with a priest we are in love with. As you are well aware, a lot has been said by those who are in favor of optional celibacy but very little is known about the devastating suffering of a woman who is deeply in love with a priest."
"We humbly place our suffering at your feet in the hope that something may change, not just for us, but for the good of the entire Church."
"We love these men, they love us, and in most cases, despite all efforts to renounce it, one cannot manage to give up such a solid and beautiful bond."
"Unfortunately, this brings with it all the pain of not being able 'to live it fully'. This continuous giving and then letting go is soul destroying."
Although it is not unchangeable dogma in the Roman Catholic Church, priestly celibacy is a tradition going back more than 1,000 years, Reuters reported.
In recent decades, the Vatican has come under pressure to make celibacy optional and allow priests to marry. Supporters have argued that it would help lessen the shortage of priests in many areas.
About 6,000 Italian men have left the priesthood to marry, compared with a total of 33,000 parish priests now in service, UK MailOnline reported.
Although the tradition of celibacy has been supported by the Pope in the past, he has suggested that his position might waiver.
"For now, I am in favor of maintaining celibacy, with all the pros and cons that come with it, because in 10 centuries there have been more positive experiences than errors," he was quoted saying in 2010, before he became Pope, in the book, On Heaven and Earth.
Sexual abuse of children by priests has also been linked to the celibacy ruling, proponents of optional celibacy claim.
However, the argument has been rejected by the Church, saying that that pedophilia, whether in the Church or outside of it, is carried out by people with psychological problems.
Priests are allowed to marry in the Anglican and other Protestant churches as well as in the Orthodox Church, Reuters reported.
Read the entire letter here.
