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Pope Francis could begin allowing married men to become ordained priests
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Pope Francis could begin allowing married men to become ordained priests

Could this end celibacy?

Pope Francis could allow married men to become ordained priests in areas where candidates are hard to recruit, according to the Daily Mail.

What are the details?

Pope Francis, who will take assembly with Amazonian bishops for three weeks beginning in October, will address the ordaining of married Catholic priests in more remote areas such as the Amazon.

The outlet reported that traditionalist priests are concerned over the potential move, which would bring celibacy into question and cause a schism.

The pope is set to meet with clerics in Rome to discuss those ecumenical needs of the Amazon, and will consider the move, which would permit married priests to deliver sacraments such as baptism, confession, funerals, and weddings in underserved areas.

The proposal in question calls for men of the Catholic Church who are married to join the priesthood in order to fill glaring vacancies in underpopulated areas such as South America's Amazon region. A portion of the proposal states, "While affirming that celibacy is a gift for the Church, there have been requests that, for the most remote areas of the region, (the Church) studies the possibility of conferring priestly ordination on elderly men, preferably indigenous, respected and accepted members of their communities."

Previously, the pope said that he would rather die than change the celibacy rule for priests, but is still considering the proposal.

What else?

The outlet reports that Cardinal Raymond Burke, among others, will ask for the pope's resignation if he signs off on the proposal.

According to the The Daily Beast, Bishop Rafael Cob, apostolic vicar of Puyo, Ecuador, who will be in attendance at the assembly, said that the Church must "respond to a concrete challenge in a concrete reality."

"The Amazon is a geographically difficult region to evangelize, first because of its distance, its inaccessibility," he said during a recent media event. "But there also is a lack of candidates who can or want to be priests with the issue of celibacy. So, logically, the Church is looking for new methods to respond to concrete challenges."

You can read more on the background of the polarizing issue here, courtesy of TheBlaze's Mike Ciandella.

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