Pope considers married men for priesthood

VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis is open to the possibility of ordaining married men to the priesthood in remote areas that lack spiritual leadership, according to a March 9 article in a German publication.

The Pope said in the article that while making exceptions to the celibacy rule is not the solution to the shortage of priests, he was open to considering the idea, he said. “We must consider if ‘viri probati,’ or ‘married men of proven faith,’ is a possibility. Then we must determine what tasks they can perform, for example, in remote communities,” he said.

The shortage worldwide is an “enormous problem” that weakens the Church, the Pope said. He added that he prefers an unmarried, celibate priesthood but that the value is a discipline of the Catholic Church, not a dogma, The Christian Post reported. (TAB)