Pope Francis has said he is willing to consider ordaining older married men as priests in isolated communities, but has ruled out making celibacy optional to tackle a shortage of clergy. The shortage has prompted calls from some progressives to end the ancient tradition of celibacy for Roman Catholic priests. Such a move would represent revolutionary change for the Catholic Church and would likely face massive resistance. "We have to give a thought to whether viri probati are a possibility. In Brazil, the nation with more Catholics than any other, the faithful also expressed support for the viri probati idea.

Source: The Star March 11, 2017 07:52 UTC