Bearded Clergy

The current crisis in the Roman Catholic Church, it could be argued, may be attributed to the lack of beards on Catholic clergy, including the Pope. Although, I do recall a couple of Jesuit priests of my schooldays who sported beards. I also remember an enormous, long-haired French-Canadian Jesuit priest who habitually wore a large plaid flannel shirt over his buttoned front instead of a black cassock and cape. By the time I entered into their care the cassock and cape had disappeared among the Jesuits.

Why we won’t get a bearded pope, Christopher Howse, The Daily Telegraph,  22 February 2013