Pope Francis says church may consider making married men priests

Pope Francis has said that the church is willing to consider ordaining married men who could potentially then work in remote communities facing a shortage of priests but ruled out making priestly celibacy optional.

The shortage of priests has prompted calls from many in the church who believe, given the lack of priests in many areas, a new path to ordination should be opened, to end the ancient tradition of celibacy for Roman Catholic priests.

'We must think about whether viri probati  (Latin for men of proven character) are a possibility,” Pope Francis said in an interview with German weekly Die Zeit published on Thursday, referring to older, married men who are already involved in church business.

'Then we have to decide what tasks they can take on, for example in remote communities,' he said.

Many think that in addition to priests who take a vow of celibacy, older, married men with a long commitment to the church could also be considered as priests, as such a move would represent revolutionary change for the Catholic Church.

 

Pope Francis however ruled out, opening the priesthood to all married men or watering down the Catholic Church's commitment to celibacy among priests.

"Voluntary celibacy is often discussed in this context, especially in places where there are shortages of clerics. But voluntary celibacy is not a solution," he said.

Reuters