Pope Francis Open to Ordaining Married Men
Pope Francis said he might consider ordaining married men to the diaconate who could be called into clerical service. He, however, ruled out making celibacy optional for the priesthood, saying it is "not the solution." The pontiff aired these thoughts in an interview with a German newspaper.
Pope Francis talked about the problem of the shortage of priests which he described as "a [serious] problem that the Church must resolve," Catholic News Agency reported. Without priestly vocations, he said, "the Church is weakened, because a Church without the Eucharist doesn't have strength."
The pope pointed to low birthrates as one of the causes, saying, "If there are no young men there can be no priests." He cited some parishes like in Switzerland that are compelled to tap females as community leaders. One of the solutions he sees is "working with youth who are seeking orientation."
Get Our Latest News for FREE
Loosening the celibacy rule, however, is out of the question, saying: "optional celibacy is discussed, above all where priests are needed. But optional celibacy is not the solution." By saying this, the pope is being consistent with his remark last year that the celibacy rule should "remain as it is."
However, Pope Francis is open to the idea of ordaining viri probati or older married men to serve in rural areas. "We must think yes, viri probati are a possibility. But then we must also consider what tasks they could perform, for example in isolated communities," he said.
Catholic priests are expected to remain celibate even if Catholicism includes 23 Eastern churches including Anglican, Coptic Orthodox and Latin Catholics that ordain married men. According to National Catholic Register, Pope Francis wanted the next synod to take up the issue of priestly celibacy but was voted down by the Ordinary Council of the Synod of Bishops.
