Pope Francis has hinted that he would review the centuries-long requirement of celibacy for priests in the Catholic Church.
He spoke in an interview with Spanish news outlet Infobae to mark the 10-year anniversary of his election as pope.
He described celibacy as an individual “discipline” and “temporary prescription” in the church.
“There is no contradiction for a priest to marry,” the pontiff said. “Celibacy in the western church is a temporary prescription.”
Celibacy in the Roman Catholic Church or western church has been a mandate since the 11th century. Before that priests were required to take a vow of abstinence.
According to the church, the discipline of celibacy is the priestly commitment not to marry, following the practice of Jesus.
For at least a thousand years the matter remained controversial in the church.
In recent years, it has been an oft-debated topic for a number of reasons. Some argue that it deters men from joining the priesthood which contributes to the shortage of priests in many countries. The other reason has to do with the sexual abuse scandal that has tarnished the church with some people suggesting that a married priest would not likely to harbor child abusers or be abusers themselves.
Pope Francis, like countless of his predecessors, has always defended priestly celibacy in the church.
In January 2019, he made clear his belief on the matter, stressing that “celibacy is a gift to the church” and he does not think it should be made optional. He added that “there could be some possibility” of ordaining married men in remote locations, but even that would require further study.
But there have been movements within the church itself on the issue such as the recent vote by the German Catholic Church to request that the pope end the requirement.
When asked by the Infobae reporter whether he would reconsider the celibacy issue, Francis appeared to soften his stance on it.
“Yes. Yes,” he replied, while pointing to the Eastern Rite of the church which allows married priests.
“In fact everyone in the eastern church is married. Or those who want to. They make a choice. Before being ordained, they opt to marry or to be celibate,” he stated.
According to Francis, there is a priest from the Eastern Rite in the Vatican office who is married and has a son.
“Here in the Curia we have one —just today I came across him— who has his wife, his son, [and he] comes [here],” he said. “In the western church, celibacy is a temporary prescription, I do not know if it is settled in one way or another, but it is temporary in this sense, it is not perpetual like priestly ordination, which is forever, whether you like it or not. Whether you leave [the church] or not is a different matter, but it is forever. Celibacy, on the other hand, is a discipline…”
In the interview the pope also expressed concerns over the rise in global divorce rates, suggesting that some people are marrying too young.
“Sometimes one goes to a wedding and it seems more like it’s a social reception and not a sacrament. When young people say forever, who knows what they mean by forever,” he stated.
It happened at the Nicene conference of catholic bishops. I think macoumeh just need to stay in their lane.
This version of christianity is a reformulated version that has served white supremacy very well.
All the Pope has to do is just to READ THE BIBLE.. JUST READ IT. The answer was already there before the Catholic church begun in the 4th century. 1Timothy 3:1-5 clearly shows the original New Testament church leaders were married. Celibacy was not required or mandated even though it was recommended by the apostle Paul as being more advantageous for certain reasons. (1 Corinthians 7:7,8,26) Peter, referred to as the first Pope, was married according to Matthew 8:14 and 1 Corinthians 9:5..