"However, after a while one does wonder what is the most important issue here."
Indeed. But who made it such a huge issue in the first place? Bishop Robinson or his opponents? I suspect his detractors made it into a bigger deal than he would've wanted.

"Indeed, the reason for celibacy in the Catholic priesthood is, in fact, to make the priest's sexual and personal needs subservient to the church and service to God."

In practice, this hasn't proven especially effective.

Even my late grandmother, as devout an Italian-Catholic woman as you would've found, was in favor of married priests.

I think you are right to say that Robinson was putting his sexuality above service. But a return to celebacy is not the answer. As a presbyterrian in love with a Catholic, i am increasingly being exposed to the absurdities of their faith. Like for instance, my fiance explained that before we can get married in the Catholic church we had to undergo counseling with her priest. I agreed. Then she said, "And if we are married and there is a problem, that is who we can turn to."

I looked at her weird, and said, "Honey..."

"Yes?"

"Isn't a priest fundamentally unqualified to be a marriage counselor?"

By contrast in my church, there are two ministers who are not only MARRIED, but married to each other. They are therefore very normal people who have to juggle children and work and all that, and so they are much more credible to me on the subject of faith.

Indeed, one of the more interesting theories on why celebacy might be part of the problem in the sex abuse scandals is that it is because the preists do not have children of their own that they do not take this issue as seriously. I think that might ultimately be the truth. Certainly it creates an out-of-touch mentality. Like I complain about their position on divorce and call it outright immoral, on my site. You can't help but believe that the fact that they never get married makes it a little easier for them to expect us never to be divorced.

Actually, I am not advocating celibacy for the clergy (I am a Baptist), but was using it as a counter-example.

It's clear from this that nothing matters more to those who are politically correct than the promotion and advocacy of homosexuality. They are even willing to destroy a denomination to get their way. Robinson said anyone who leaves will be "welcomed back." It is not up to him to welcome anyone back. His arrogance and willfullness appear to be without limits.