Pope Francis has stopped short of allowing the ordination of married men as priests in the Amazon, where there are severe shortages of clergy, calling instead for ordained ministers to come to the region.
Francis has long said he appreciates the discipline and the gift of celibacy, and didn't feel he could make such a sweeping change. However, he has also expressed sympathy for the plight of the Amazonian faithful, and said theologians had debated pastoral reasons to consider an exception, which is possible given the celibate priesthood is a tradition of the Roman church rather than a matter of doctrine.
“These are issues that are not just political or cultural. They get to the core of what does it mean to be catholic,” said Michele Dillon, professor of sociology at the University of New Hampshire and the author of"Postsecular Catholicism." Francis called the Amazon synod in 2017 to focus attention on saving the rain forest and better ministering to its indigenous people.The decision on priests however, risked overshadowing the other issues in the document that Francis set out to highlight. It could also have deepened the antipathy in strongly conservative church circles toward Francis, whom they deem to be dangerously progressive.
"In the past it was Rome talking to other churches. Right now, there is a different process. Rome is listening and taking seriously the voices coming from there," said Massimo Faggioli, professor of historical theology at Villanova University."If he ignores completely it will undermine the whole legitimacy of what he has called the synodal process. If he does ignore it it’s just another name for papal primacy," he added, the day before the document was released.
Malaysia Latest News, Malaysia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Pope Rebuffs Call for Married Priests in the AmazonPope Francis has decided against relaxing rules on celibacy for Roman Catholic priests, declining a proposal from bishops that he allow married men to become priests in Latin America’s Amazon region to tackle a shortage of clergy there, the Vatican said Wednesday.
Read more »
Pope declines to act on controversial plan to allow married priests in the AmazonPope Francis declined Wednesday to approve the ordination of married men to address the priest shortage in the Amazon, sidestepping a fraught issue that has dominated debate in the Catholic Church and even involved retired Pope Benedict XVI.
Read more »
Pope rejects a proposal to allow married priests in the AmazonPope Francis has declined to approve proposals to allow married priests in the Amazon or women to be ordained as deacons
Read more »
Amazon wants Trump to testify on ‘order to screw Amazon’ in Pentagon dealThe Amazon.com Inc unit alleged that Trump, who has publicly derided Amazon head Jeff Bezos and repeatedly criticized the company, exerted undue influence on the decision to deny it the $10 billion contract. Known as the Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure Cloud, or JEDI, the contract is intended
Read more »
How finance firms like TD Ameritrade use Amazon Alexa flash briefings - Business InsiderFinance firms like TD Ameritrade say flash briefings on Amazon's Alexa have opened up new ways for them to communicate with advisors and potential clients
Read more »