I just started reading Angels and Demons by Dan Brown*. In it, a Catholic priest has an adopted daughter.
When I saw that, my first thought was “No way!” but my second thought was “Well, maybe…” So I thought I’d put the question to the great minds on the board and see if anyone had any experience or knowledge in this area.
- I can already tell I’m not going to like the book, but not because of this question.
Well, I believe I read a story a few years ago, in the Pittsburgh Catholic about a priest who adopted two little boys from Asia.
I’m sure they can.
There are no secular laws that forbid it, so it would certainly be legal for a priest to adopt a child. And there are no Church policies that categorically forbid such a thing (though a priest might very well be discouraged by his superiors from doing such a thing).