Catholic Church To Allow Married Men Become Priests

The Catholic Church might conditionally depart from celibacy as it is set to allow older married men in remote areas become priest.

A document on Monday by Vatican said that the move goes a long way to overcome the shortage of clergy in the region.

The document read “While affirming that celibacy is a gift for the church, there have been requests that, for the most remote areas of the region, the possibility of conferring priestly ordination on elderly men is discussed.

 “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 authorised to celebrate it should be changed.

“Potential priests should be preferably indigenous, respected and accepted members of their communities”.

The men could also enter the priesthood “even if they already have a family that is established and stable, in order to ensure the sacraments that accompany and sustain the Christian life”.

The document further directed that the new suggestive development be discussed at a synod of bishops from the Amazon taking place at the Vatican in October.