Climate change, water resources, inculturation and indigenous practices were among the topics discussed during the Amazon Synod’s Sunday afternoon session. A general summary of the topics discussed during the closed-door session has been published. Some of the discussions focused on ordaining married men. It was described as a “legitimate need” but one which “cannot affect Read more
At dusk in this small indigenous village, Antelmo Pereira calls local Catholics to prayer, changes into a white robe and leads a religious service that is the closest thing the faithful in this remote part of the Amazon can get to a proper Mass. Speaking in the indigenous Ticuna language, he leads a recital of Read more
At the opening Mass of the Synod of Bishops for the Amazon region on Sunday the Pope Francis appealed to conservatives not to be bound by the status quo. The synod’s purpose will be to discuss the future of the Church in the Amazon. These discussions will include the possibility of married priests. Most of Read more
The Church should “deepen its understanding of the uninterrupted tradition of priestly celibacy in the Latin rite” says Cardinal Marc Ouellet, prefect of the Congregation for Bishops. Ouellet says a deepened understanding of celibacy is preferable to grabbing at quick solutions to resolve the current lack of priests. He makes the claim in his newly Read more
The Vatican has officially thrown open the question of the Catholic Church ordaining married men. It is the most direct mention ever by the Vatican of the possibility of married priests. The proposal, released around 10 pm Monday, NZ time, comes in a working document prepared for the Synod of Bishops in the Pan-Amazon. In Read more
Married priests could be a possibility if prelates ask Pope Francis to allow it, German Cardinal Walter Kasper says. Kasper, who is considered one of Francis’s close theological advisers, says such a change could be made during this year’s Synod of Bishops on the Amazon set for this October, if the prelates were to ask Read more
Austrian bishop Manfred Scheuer has written to Pope Francis explaining people are calling for married priests and female deacons in the future ordained ministry. Scheuer told Francis with regards to the Eucharist as the font, center, and summit of the life of the church, three changes are called for. Read more:
Next year’s Pan-Amazonian synod will cover issues including the environment, evangelisation and the possibility of opening official ministries to women and married men. The synod will be called “Amazonia: New Paths for the Church and for an Integral Ecology.” At a press conference about the synod’s preparatory document, Cardinal Lorenzo Baldisseri said: “We don’t want Read more
Pope Francis is said to be considering including debate about married men’s ordination to the priesthood in next year’s Synod of Bishops. The context of the discussion will focus on the Church in the Amazon basin. His comments came in response to a question on the matter from Cardinal Claudio Hummes. Hummes is the president Read more
Married men’s ordination could be considered as a solution to the lack of vocations, Pope Francis says. In his first ever interview with a German newspaper yesterday, Francis discussed his attitude to the consecration of married men. He said the shortage of priests around the world is an “enormous problem” that must be resolved. At Read more