Roman Catholic bishops propose opening priesthood to married deacons in the Amazon region
ROME — Roman Catholic bishops from across the Amazon recommended Saturday to allow married deacons to become priests — a proposal intended to address a severe shortage in the region, but also one that breaks from centuries of church tradition.
The document by the Vatican gathering — which still needs to be affirmed by Pope Francis — offers a significant shift in church views and could potentially signal a new strategy to modernize key tenets of Catholic tradition, such a priestly celibacy, as the church faces a worldwide decline in vocations.
The proposal, proponents say, would be narrowly applied to permit only selected men ordained as deacons to become priests. The gathering, however, stopped short of fully endorsing calls to allow women as deacons, an ecclesiastical position that can preside over some rites, such as witness marriages, but cannot celebrate Mass.
The bishops instead urged the Vatican to reopen debate on ordaining women as deacons — an appeal quickly backed by Francis.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/roman-catholic-bishops-propose-opening-priesthood-to-married-deacons-in-the-amazon-region/2019/10/26/671b9ae2-f6a0-11e9-b2d2-1f37c9d82dbb_story.html?wpmk=1&wpisrc=al_news__alert-world--alert-national
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