Roman Catholic bishops gathered at the Vatican on Saturday proposed allowing married deacons from a region of the Amazon to become ordained priests in order to help address a clergy shortage in the region.
Pope Francis still needs to affirm the proposal, but if approved, the change though limited in scope would represent a fundamental shift in what it has meant to be a Roman Catholic priest for nearly a millennia.
The proposal was offered at the end of a three-week summit of church leaders from countries across the Amazon region, including Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Venezuela and Suriname. The group of men, called the Synod of Bishops for the Pan-Amazon Region, voted 128-41 to allow married deacons to become priests.
The text of the proposal does not make it immediately clear whether the change would apply only to married deacons who wish to join the priesthood, or if those who are already priests would be allowed to marry. The plan would only apply to the Amazon region.
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