Synod of Amazon to consider ordination of married Catholics in South America

A special assembly of the Synod of the Roman Catholic Church, which will last three weeks, will discuss the idea of ordaining married men living in remote areas of Brazil to the priesthood. According to the BBC, Pope Francis and 184 bishops from South America will take part in the assembly.

In some areas of the Amazon, where Catholic priests visit no more than once a year, there is an urgent need for clergymen who could take care of the local flock on an ongoing basis - to celebrate Mass weekly, perform church ordinances and perform religious services. Today, in 85% of the region's settlements, this is not possible.

“Pope Francis, being from Latin America himself, instinctively senses the problems of the region. Concern about how few priests there are in the Amazon is indeed a fundamental thing at the heart of [these problems]. Catholics are convinced that the Eucharist is the heart of the Christian community, ”says Gregory Ryan, professor at the Center for Catholic Studies.

The proposal to ordain married Catholics in the Amazon concerns exceptional cases. In Indian It is planned to appoint to the congregations the most senior men who have the maximum authority among compatriots.

Most Latin American bishops support this way out of the personnel crisis. However, other opinions are also voiced. The press became aware of the statement of the German Cardinal Walter Brandmüller, who read the self-destruction of the Roman Church after the Amazon Synod. Opponents of the abolition of celibacy for the Catholic priesthood fear that the exception made for part of the territory of South America will spread to other countries of the Catholic world. They are also confused by another item on the synod's agenda: the definition of ministries that can be assigned to women. However, the role of bishops at the assembly is deliberative, and the Pontiff will have to make the final decision on any of the above issues.

Recall that not so long ago, a number of Anglican priests, who were never forbidden to marry, converted to Catholicism due to the fact that the church to which they previously belonged began to ordain women. Of course, the Vatican did not require that married priests be divorced when moving to the Roman Church.

Questions about the possibility of abolishing celibacy for the clergy in special cases and obedience for women are far from the only ones that will be discussed by the participants in the assembly. The agenda of the Amazon Synod also includes migration issues, the deforestation of rainforests; and the definition of the missionary role of the Catholic Church among the indigenous population of the continent.

Photo: Air Force