The rule of clerical celibacy followed by the Roman Catholic Church causes immense suffering for priests and also creates havoc in the lives of numerous women and children.
This is the view of Professor Philippe Denis, professor of the history of Christianity at the school of theology at the University of Natal in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal.
He was commenting on reports from Rome acknowledging incidents of sexual abuse of nuns by priests.
The church admitted that it was aware that priests from at least 23 countries had been raping and sexually abusing nuns from third-world countries.
Prof Denis, who is a brother in the Dominican order, said many Catholics, including himself, felt celibacy was a gift freely given by the Holy Spirit to some people and that it should not be imposed on all candidates for the priesthood.
The rule of celibacy was a matter of ecclesiastical discipline, he said.
Denis said the rule was introduced in the western church at a certain time for certain reasons and this requirement could easily be abandoned.
He said the relaxation of the rule of clerical celibacy would not automatically solve problems of sexual abuse by priests.
Married priests from other churches, he said, also committed sexual offences, as was frequently reported in the media.
In light of the present scandal, Denis said, he would like to suggest an open debate in the Catholic church on sexuality and Aids in the church.
The academic said his experience as a former religious affairs correspondent and as someone who had travelled widely was that Catholic priests all over the world breached their vows of chastity.
"I do not have to judge these priests," he said. "Only God has the authority to do so.
"What worries me is the fate of the women who engage, sometimes against their will, with these priests.
"They are forced into clandestine, incomplete and sometimes abusive relationships. The children born of these unions are also victims."
Meanwhile, Wilfrid Cardinal Napier, archbishop of Durban and president of the Southern African Catholic Bishops' Conference, has expressed "shock, disappointment and condemnation" at what has been reported.
He said the Catholic church in southern Africa had drawn up two protocols on the subject, one to deal with cases of abuse and misconduct with nuns, and the other looking at sexual abuse of children.
In future, the cardinal said, prospective candidates for the priesthood, religious life and pastoral ministry would be required to adhere to a code of professional ministerial conduct.
The establishment of these two protocols and of the code of conduct had become necessary because of the "culture of silence" which surrounded these cases of abuse.