Pope Francis steps back from allowing married priests

Progressives hoped the pontiff would make an exception to the 1,000-year-old tradition in the Amazon region

Pope Francis
The Pope’s Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Querida Amazonia book
(Image credit: Copyright: Franco Origlia)

Pope Francis has refrained from opening the priesthood to married men in the Amazon rainforest region, side-stepping a decision that would have heartened liberal Catholics and proved a watershed moment for the church.

A Vatican summit - or synod - of 180 Amazon bishops, indigenous people and activists in October last year called for the Pope to loosen the millenia-old celibacy rule in response to dwindling clerical numbers. Catholics in the region, they said, were experiencing “enormous difficulty” receiving communion or absolving sins - rites that require a priest.

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William Gritten

William Gritten is a London-born, New York-based strategist and writer focusing on politics and international affairs.