Pope Francis has said the Catholic church may consider ordaining married men who could potentially then work in remote areas faced with a shortage of priests.

“We must think about whether viri probati are a possibility,” Francis said, referring to older married men who are already involved in church business.

“Then we have to decide what tasks they can take on, for example in remote communities,” he added in an interview with German weekly Die Zeit.

Many in the church believe, given the lack of priests in many places, that a new path to ordination should be opened.

They think that in addition to priests who take a vow of celibacy, older married men with a long commitment to the church could also be considered.

Pope Francis said in May 2014 that “there are married priests in the church” citing Anglican ministers who converted, Coptic Catholics and the priests of some eastern churches.

The church, and notably the current pope’s predecessor Benedict XVI, had previously said that celibacy was not a matter of inflexible church dogma unlike, for example, the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

However, Francis said allowing priests in training to choose whether or not to be celibate was “not the solution”.

-The Guardian

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  1. Kuo tōfolofola ʻa Tuʻi Tapu Falakiko ʻo tuku mai ʻene lika ke fakakaukauʻi ʻe he siasi Katoliká hano fakanofo pātele e kakai tangata ʻosi malí ke nau ngāue ʻi he ngaahi feituʻu mamaʻo ʻoku nau fehangahangai mo e tokosiʻi ʻa e kau pātelé.

    ʻOku ʻikai ko e ʻuhinga ʻeni ke fakaʻatā ai e kau pātele ke nau mali ko e tōfolofola ia ʻa e Tuʻi Tapu mo ne fakamamafaʻi ʻoku ʻuhinga pe ʻeni naʻa tali ʻe he siasí ke pātele ʻa e kakai mali matuʻotuʻa kuo nau faifatongia fuoloa mai ʻi he siasí.

    “Pea kuopau ke tau tuʻutuʻuniʻi ʻa e ngaahi fatongia ke nau fakahokó, ʻo hangē ʻi he ngaahi kominitī maʻomaʻonganoá,” ko ʻene tōfolofola ia ʻi ha ʻinitaviu mo e omgoongo fakauike ʻa Siamane ko e Die Zeit.

    ʻOku tui ʻa e tokolahi ʻi he siasí, ko ʻene tokosiʻi ko ia ʻa e kau pātelé ʻi he ngaahi feituʻu lahi, ʻoku totonu leva ke fakaʻatā ha hala fononga foʻou ki he fakanofo pātelé.

    Ne pehē foki ʻe Tuʻi Tapu Falakiko ʻi Mē 2014 ʻoku ʻi ai ʻa e kau pātele mali ʻi he siasí ʻo ne ʻuhinga ki he kau faifekau he siasi faka-ʻIngilaní kuo nau liliu maí, hangē Katolika Kopetikí mo e kau pātele ʻi he ngaahi siasi ʻo e hahaké.

    Ko e siasí, pea ne mahinoʻeni ʻi he toko taha ne hokosi ʻe he tuʻitapu lolotongá, Penitiketo XVI, ne ne pehē ki muʻa ko e nofo taʻe malí naʻe ʻikai ko ha meʻa ia ʻoku ofeʻingataʻa hangē ko e ʻū meʻa ʻoku ʻikai tuʻutuʻuni ʻe he siasí ke liliu, fakatātā, ko e toetuʻu ʻa Sēsū Kilisitoó.

    ʻOku tokolahi e kau taki māʻolunga he siasí kuo nau teke mo poupouʻi e lalaka ko ʻeni kuo folofolaʻaki ʻe he Tuʻi Tapú ʻo kau ai ʻa e Kātinali Pulāsila ko Claudio HUmmes, ko e kaungāmeʻa fuoloa ʻo Falakiko pea ko e ʻulu ia ki muʻa ʻōfisi fakafaifekau ʻo e siasí.

    Kuo ʻosi fakaʻali pe foki ʻe Falakiko ʻene mokoi ki ha ngaahi fokotuʻu ki hano fakanofo ʻo e kakai tangata ʻosi malí mo ʻene hohaʻa pe foki ki he lahi ʻa e kau pātele kuo nau tuku ange e fatongiá ka ō kinautolu ʻo mali.