Saturday, June 9, 2018

Vatican Seeks to Refine Amazon Priest Shortage; May Let Married Men Be Priests in Amazon Area

The Vatican called for courageous proposals yesterday to cope with a shortage of priests in the Amazon region, and said it wouldn't rule out debate on whether married men could step in to fill the "precariously-thin  presence" of the Catholic Church in the vast South American region, the ABC News website reports today (June 9, 2018).

In a preparatory document seeking input from South American bishops for the Vatican's 2019 meeting on the Amazon, organizers also said the church must identify new "official ministries" for women to play in the region.

The call was not a suggestion for women priests, which Catholic doctrine forbids and Pope Francis has reaffirmed.

But it leaves open the door to making official some ministries that women in remote parts of Latin America already perform, including celebrating baptisms.

No comments:

Post a Comment