All Rev'd Up On The Tale Of Two Popes

Retired pope Benedict XVI is out with a new book defending the Catholic Church's use of celibate priests as Pope Fracis considers the pros and cons of allowing older, married men to be ordained as priests in some parts of the world.

According to a piece in the National Catholic Reporter, the ex-pontiff said he felt compelled to speak about the issue.

To provide some context, Reverends Irene Monroe and Emmett G. Price III spoke with Boston Public Radio on Monday.

"This is really odd, usually there's an unwritten rule that when you leave the office you leave the office, you move on with your life," said Price. "But now he, as a retired pope - first of all how many retired popes are there - he's now kind of availing his voice, in a very fractured Catholic church at that too ... and is really pulling the table cloth from the dining room table with this statement and the book that's coming out."

Monroe noted this development reveals a deeper rift in the relationship between Francis and Benedict than portrayed in the Netflix biographical drama, "The Two Popes."

"Watching 'The Two Popes' on Netflix, you thought they were probably respectful friends, but after this sort of incident, they're frenemies at best here," she said. "What was quite interesting is, two things, you realize that Benedict, who has been called God's rottweiler because he's been so doctrinal, still faces the church, and occasionally pope Francis will face the world, and that's why he came up with this notion of optional celibacy, he's looking at it within where you are geographically."

Reverend Irene Monroe is a syndicated religion columnist and the Boston voice for Detour’s African American Heritage Trail and a Visiting Researcher in the Religion and Conflict Transformation Program at Boston University School of Theology.

Emmett G. Price III is the Professor of Worship, Church & Culture and Founding Executive Director of the Institute for the Study of the Black Christian Experience at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary.

Together they host the All Rev'd Up podcast.