Ex Pope Benedict Breaks Silence to Defend Priest Celibacy as Pope Francis Consider Relaxing Rules

(VATICAN CITY) — Retired Pope Benedict XVI has broken his silence to reaffirm the value of priestly celibacy, co-authoring a bombshell book at the precise moment that Pope Francis is weighing whether to allow married men to be ordained to address the Catholic priest shortage. Benedict wrote the book, “From the Depths of Our Hearts:…