Married men could soon become priests in the Amazon. What would this mean for the Catholic Church?

Catholic leaders in the Amazon basin will meet next year to discuss the challenges they face. Perhaps their most pressing problem is an acute shortage of priests. The solution could be to accept married men into the priesthood. What would this decision mean for the rest of the Church? 

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The Church estimates there are 7,100 Catholics for every priest in the region.

Highlights

By Marshall Connolly (Catholic Online)
Catholic Online (https://www.catholic.org)
2/27/2018 (6 years ago)

Published in Americas

Keywords: Amazon, priests, Church, married

LOS ANGELES, CA (California Network) -- The Amazon basin is a vast region. It has few paved roads and is notoriously difficult to navigate. A priest is more likely to arrive by boat than by car. A priest can have more than 7,100 people under his care, a tremendous burden for a priest in an urban area, a virtual impossibility for a priest in the Amazon. 

The logistics of the Amazon means many people have difficulty finding a priest when they need one, and many duties must be delegated to deacons. Even laypeople fill in, leading prayer services when a priest isn't available for Mass. 

Regional leaders would like to address this situation and one possibility is to appoint married men as priests. The topic will be discussed at a meeting scheduled for next year. 

The fact the topic is scheduled does not mean any changes will be made. But what if they are?

Does this represent a new era for the Catholic Church? 

The short answer is no. The idea of having unmarried priests dates to the medieval period. Its purpose is to ensure the priest is fully devoted to his parishioners and the Church. It eliminates distraction, helps to minimize scandal and temptation, and it emphasizes that the priest is married to the Church itself. 

However, the restriction against married men becoming priests isn't as strict as some believe.

Some Catholics may be surprised to know the Church already allows married priests. The cases are rare, but they do exist. Notably, the Church allows former Anglican priests who are married and have come to the Catholic Church to serve as priests.
 
The Church also relies heavily on deacons, most of whom are married. 

Other rites of the Church in full communion with Rome also permit their priests to marry. 

Mainstream media outlets are already spinning mention of the topic as a shift in Church policy as if centuries of tradition are a failed experiment because there is an exceptional case. This simply isn't true. The topic may be slated for conversation, it does not mean any decisions will be made. And the possibility should not be construed as a failure of Church tradition,  policy, or that the Church will suddenly capitulate to the demands of the secular world and reverse position on a myriad of topics. 

Should married men be permitted to become priests, they should be aware they will be gone from home for extended periods, a challenge for any married person.

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However, the Church is confident that allowing a small number of married men with strong families to celebrate the Eucharist and hear confessions could help alleviate many problems. 

If the Church does opt for change, it will not likely be instant but could be carefully phased in over many years. If the need for the program diminishes, the program will be scaled back.