Cardinal Kasper says Francis will allow married priests, if bishops request it

[Randolph]

ROME - German Cardinal Walter Kasper, considered a close theological adviser to Pope Francis, said that if during an upcoming meeting of bishops on the Amazon region the prelates asked for the ordination of married men, the Argentine pontiff would grant the request.

He also said that the ordination of women, even to the diaconate, is out of the question, as it would undermine a “millennia old tradition,” noting, however, that the Catholic Church would “collapse” without women.

“If the bishops agreed through mutual consent to ordained married men - those called viri probati - it’s my judgement that the pope would accept it,” said Kasper, former president of the Vatican’s Council for the Promotion of Christian unity. “Celibacy isn’t a dogma, it’s not an unalterable practice.”

“Personally, I’m very much in favor of maintaining celibacy as an obligatory way of life with a commitment to the cause of Jesus Christ, but this doesn’t exclude that a married man can carry a priestly service in special situations,” Kasper said.

https://cruxnow.com/church-in-europ...-allow-married-priests-if-bishops-request-it/

 

[Irishmom2]

In the same article, Cardinal Kasper says one thing, and Pope Francis has already said the opposite. Not sure what the point of writing the article was.

 

[Phillip_Rolfes]

There’s a 2000+ year tradition of priestly celibacy. There’s a 2000+ year tradition of married priests (yes, even in the West). So, why is this “news”?

 

[TheLittleLady]

Ummmm, we already ordain married men. My boss is a married priest. One of my dear friends is a retired married priest.

The Vatican has to approve these men, converts who are clergy from other branches of Christianity.

 

[Phillip_Rolfes]

Not to mention the fact that we Eastern Catholics have married priests who were born and raised Catholic!

 

[jack63]

I think Pope Francis and Cardinal Kasper are saying the same thing. Pope Francis could consider those called viri probati - older married men as priests as an exception in far flung areas like the Amazon. This has always seemed more than reasonable to me. There has been countless articles on this over the past few years.