Pope on celibacy, populism and his ‘moments of emptiness’ | Inquirer News

Pope on celibacy, populism and his ‘moments of emptiness’

/ 11:13 PM March 09, 2017

Pope Francis - St Peter's Square - 5 March 2017

Pope Francis waves to faithful during the Angelus prayer delivered by Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican, Sunday, March 5, 2017. (Photo by GREGORIO BORGIA/AP)

BERLIN — Pope Francis says the church must study whether it’s possible to ordain married men to minister in remote communities facing priest shortages.

In an interview published Thursday with Germany’s Die Zeit, Francis stressed that removing the celibacy rule is not the answer to the Catholic Church’s priest shortage. But he expressed an openness to studying whether so-called “viri probati” – or married men of proven faith – could be ordained.

Article continues after this advertisement

“We must consider if viri probati is a possibility. Then we must determine what tasks they can perform, for example, in remote communities,” he was quoted as saying.

FEATURED STORIES

The “viri probati” proposal has been around for decades, but it has drawn fresh attention under history’s first Latin American pope thanks in part to his appreciation of the challenges facing the church in places like Brazil, a huge Catholic country with an acute shortage of priests.

Brazilian Cardinal Claudio Hummes, a longtime friend of Francis and former head of the Vatican’s office for clergy, is reportedly pressing to allow viri probati in the Amazon, where the church counts around one priest for every 10,000 Catholics.

Article continues after this advertisement

Francis has shown particular openness to receiving concrete proposals for ordaining married men as well as his own pastoral concern for men who have left ministry to marry.

Article continues after this advertisement

He has maintained friendship with the Argentine widow of a friend who left the priesthood to marry, and he spent one of his Friday mercy missions last year visiting with men who had left ministry to start families. He has also said that while he favors a celibate priesthood, celibacy technically can be up for discussion since it’s a discipline of the church, not a dogma.

Article continues after this advertisement

The church allows some exceptions to the rule. Priests in the eastern rite Catholic Church are allowed to be married, as are married Anglican priests who convert to Catholicism.

In the interview, Francis also confirmed Colombia was on his travel plans for 2017, as well as India and Bangladesh. He ruled out Congo, which had been rumored, but mentioned Egypt as a possibility. Francis has also recently said he hoped to visit South Sudan.

Article continues after this advertisement

Francis also repeated his warning of the dangers of rising populism in western democracies, saying “populism is evil and ends badly as the past century showed.”

In the first major interview that Francis has given a German newspaper, the pope was asked whether he experienced moments in which he doubted the existence of God. He responded: “I, too, know moments of emptiness.”

Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Your subscription has been successful.

Subscribe to our daily newsletter

By providing an email address. I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy Policy.

But, he pointed out periods of crisis are also a chance to grow, saying a believer who doesn’t experience that remains “infantile.”

TAGS: celibacy, Pope Francis, populism

Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Your subscription has been successful.

Subscribe to our newsletter!

By providing an email address. I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy Policy.

© Copyright 1997-2024 INQUIRER.net | All Rights Reserved

This is an information message

We use cookies to enhance your experience. By continuing, you agree to our use of cookies. Learn more here.