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This article assumes that the Pope is speaking to Americans.

He may be speaking to Nigerians. Violating celibacy with women is a systemic problem in Africa (with nuns) and in Latin America (priests live in open concubinage).

Celibacy will never be optional with John Paul II.

Celibacy will never be optional in a culture that treats the libido as a god - such as the current one.

The sex drive has always been strong, but promiscuity used to be considered morally reprehensible by most people - today promiscuity is largely accepted as part of life. And as such the Church requires its priests to be witnesses to selfless sacrifice - which is one great benefit of celibacy. No one is forced to be a priest. No one is forced to marry. But those two commitments require one to make a lifelong promise about one's sexual behavior: chastity. Priests know when they make their lifelong promise that chastity means they promise to remain celibate for life. It is a wholly voluntary promise and they are not forced to be ordained.

Ours is the catholic (universal) as well as Catholic Church and the rules ought to apply everywhere. In this case, the rule of celibacy is a rule of the Roman rite only, a mere discipline, not a dogma, but a discipline nonetheless in the rite where the rule exists. Unless JP II or a successor changes things, it is the rule in Texas and Illinois as well as in Italy and Africa.

It may well be that rules may be changed by the next pope but Cardinal Martini is now no longer viewed even in his own mind as papabile since his retirement from Milan. Walter Cardinal Kaspar's chances were probably non-existent before the compelled resignation of one of his colleagues for sexually abusing a woman during an EXORCISM!!!! No one takes any American candidacy seriously considering the state of AmChurch even before the sorry handling of recent scandals. Roger Cardinal Mahoney certainly need not apply. Godfrey Cardinal Daneels is not a hot candidate either. Whoever JP II's successor will be, he will be elected by a conclave attended by cardinals, all but about 5 of whom have been JP II's appointees. Good bets include Cardinal Re, Castrillon Cardinal de Hoyos, Francis Cardinal Arinze and the Vietnamese Cardinal. A policy has to be adopted first by 2/3 vote and must be accepted under oath before the Holy Eucharist as a pre-condition of accepting election as pope. I bet we all know what issues will top the list at this conclave and it won't be married priests or women's ordination. Perhaps purging the lavender Mafia while purging the churches wherever it has been tolerated. That would be a good start.

There may be one more consistory in this papacy. He should purge now and fill up the voting vacancies.