In an interview published Thursday, Pope Francis said that the church may consider ordaining married men who could potentially work in remote areas due to a shortage of priests.
"We must think about whether viri probati are a possibility," Francis said 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 added in the interview with a German publication.
This has been supported by many members of the church, believing that a new path to ordination should be opened, given the lack of priests in many places.
They 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.
Back in May 2015, the Pope said that "there are married priests in the Church," referring to married Anglican ministers who joined the Catholic Church, Coptic Catholics and the priests of some Eastern churches.
The church, and notably the current pope's predecessor Benedict XVI, had previously said that celibacy was not a matter of inflexible church dogma unlike, for example, the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Pope Francis said, however, that allowing priests in training to choose whether or not to be celibate was "not the solution."
Source: AFP
Image: The Guardian | Wedding Rings For Me
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