But finding real-life priests who are willing to be celibate, let alone trendy, is another matter.
And he is now said to be celibate, that is fine, one takes that at face value.
The church's insistence on a celibate priesthood is another practice that appears increasingly out of step today.
The Catholic Church is perpetually short of priests, not least because it limits its recruitment to well-educated celibate males.
Originally monks were supposed to be celibate, although many would have "unofficial" families.
Conservative evangelicals denounced the concession outright and insisted that few people believed clergy in civil partnerships were genuinely celibate.
Church lawyers subsequently warned that new legislation prevented the Church from discriminating against celibate gay clergy when making appointments.
He stayed celibate, rarely went to sea himself and was not a navigator.
He has defended the church's insistence on a celibate priesthood and its opposition to artificial contraception, abortion and women priests.
The Vatican has banned the ordination of indigenous deacons many of whom have families for fear they may corrupt the celibate priesthood.
The announcement, from the Church's House of Bishops, would allow gay clergy to become bishops if they promise to be celibate.
BBC: CofE drops opposition to gay bishops in civil partnerships
While some theologians argue that a celibate priest is following the example of a celibate Christ, the question is open to interpretation.
By attracting peahens for their close family members, the celibate peacocks are helping to propagate genes that are similar to their own.
Gay people in civil partnerships who are celibate can already become clergy.
The Church of England has already agreed to allow people in civil partnerships to become clergy, provided they promised they would remain celibate.
BBC: CofE drops opposition to gay bishops in civil partnerships
The Church of England's House of Bishops now says it will allow gay clergy to become bishops if they promise to remain celibate.
The Church's insistence that its priests should remain celibate, and the refusal to admit women to the priesthood, are also cited as key issues.
Catholic priests are all men and while there are celibate women - typically nuns - much of the debate tends to focus on male celibacy.
In Britain, the true confessions of Stephen Fry, the celibate homosexual who plays Oscar Wilde in the current film about the Victorian wit, has moved fast up the list.
The Church of England told clergy in 2005 they could enter civil partnerships if they remained celibate, but uncertainty has arisen about whether such clergy could be nominated as bishops.
This has seen a succession of married priests coming over, so providing a ready supply of candidates to fill the growing number of vacancies, due to lack of celibate males, in the Catholic Church.
CNN: Why next pope must open up church and usher in Vatican III
The review appears to stem partly from evidence that the gay cleric Jeffrey John, who is celibate, was recently rejected as a candidate for appointment as Bishop of Southwark because of his sexual orientation.
As pope, he placed this defense of church teaching ranging from its celibate all-male priesthood to its opposition to homosexual unions at the center of his efforts to revitalize Catholicism's dwindling flock in Europe, its historic home.
On Friday, however, it was revealed that after a decision taken last month the Church of England would allow gay men in civil partnerships to become bishops as long as they promise to be celibate.
Some believe homosexual activity is wrong, but accept that individuals cannot change their make-up: many of them therefore accept gay and lesbian clergy who remain celibate, giving their sexuality no expression and living solitary lives.
BBC: Many Anglicans believe the Bible condemns homosexuality
But both to victims of abuse and to people who observe church affairs from outside, the spate of disclosures has mocked the Vatican's claim to be a fount of moral authority and have made it harder to see why the church insists on restricting the priesthood to celibate males.
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