Vatican to Discuss About Allowing Married Men As Priests

• A Vatican-issued document has confirmed that Roman Catholic leadership is considering a historic change.
• According to the proposal, married men should be allowed to serve as priests in remote Amazon areas to address clergy shortage.
• The proposal is set the be discussed at the Vatican this October.

Most of us are probably familiar with the official rule for Catholic priests. By mandate and tradition of the Roman Catholic church, men who enter the priesthood and dedicate their lives to the work of God are expected to remain unmarried and practice celibacy.

Well things may change in the near future, according to a document recently issued by the Vatican, as senior married men may soon be allowed to serve as priests in Amazon’s remote areas.

It’s a huge policy shift for the Catholic ahurch – and it’s probably happening sooner than later.

Reports are telling us that the sudden change is being seriously considered to address the alarming shortage of clergy in the Amazon region.

Although the document still acknowledges celibacy as a “gift”, it likewise recognizes requests regarding “the possibility of conferring priestly ordination” on older, married men.

The document specifies:

“Communities have difficulty in celebrating the Eucharist frequently due to the lack of priests. For this reason, instead of leaving the communities without the Eucharist, the criteria of selection and preparation of the ministers authorized to celebrate it should be changed.”

The proposal is set to be discussed by church leadership in October at the Vatican. As anyone can expect, there’s also been some negative feedback from conservative groups and individuals.

Still, this doesn’t change the fact that Pope Francis himself has mentioned that he is open about the idea of having married priests in areas where clergy shortage is a constant issue. The pope has likewise talked about giving women prominent responsibilities in the church.