Pope raises prospect of married men becoming priests

Pope Francis has reportedly requested a debate over allowing married men in the Amazon region of Brazil to become priests, a controversial move that is likely to cause outrage from conservatives in the Church.

The pontiff took the decision to put a partial lifting of priestly celibacy up for discussion and a possible vote by Brazilian bishops following a request made by the President of the Episcopal Commission for the Amazon, Cardinal Claudio Hummes, Il Messaggero newspaper quoted the sources saying.

The issue will now be discussed and a vote by bishops in the South American country could now vote on the issue.

The Anglican Ordinariate includes married priests—as do the Catholic Eastern rites. In all cases (as with married deacons), it follows the timeless tradition of the Church: a married man may be ordained, but an ordained single man can not get married.

Cardinal Hummes reportedly asked Francis to consider ordaining so-called viri probati, married men of great faith, capable of ministering spiritually to the many remote communities in the Amazon where there is a shortage of priests, and evangelical Christians and pagan sects are displacing Catholicism.