The church’s celibacy requirement is obviously contributing to a shortage of priests and that requirement could be changed in England and Wales. The call for a review of celibacy as a condition of priesthood comes after Pope Francis signaled last month he was open to the possibility of ordaining married men under specific conditions. Pope Francis has said last month that the Catholic Church may consider ordaining married men who could potentially then work in remote areas faced with a shortage of priests. The issue is expected to be raised at a synod next year on vocation.
“We must think about whether viri probati (a proposal that has been talked about for years, but has never been put into practice) are a possibility,” Francis said. Clearly what Church Teaching and Tradition means by viri probati, that is approved men who are to be successively chosen to continue the ministry of the Holy Orders after those who appointed them have died, and it is not what the innovators have co-opted to mean “tested married men”.
The Movement for Married Clergy (MMaC) is urging national commission of bishops, clergy and laity to discuss ways of tackling the shortage of priests. The MMaC secretary, Chris McDonnell, said: “We’re asking bishops to recognize the issue and examine possible solutions in good faith.” “We have a very advancing age profile of serving priests, and low numbers of people going into seminaries,” said McDonnell. “At the moment, it’s just about manageable. But in five years’ time it’s going to be very different. We want to use this window of opportunity to look at what could be done.”
According to Catholic Church figures, 25 men entered training for the diocesan priesthood in 2016 for England and Wales compared with more than 150 in 1985, although the pace of decline has slowed in recent years. Last year it was announced that a third of the 62 Catholic churches in north Wales would close by 2020 because of a shortage of priests under the retirement age. Celibacy is a matter of church discipline rather than inflexible church dogma so it’s not surprising that married men were priests in the Catholic Church up until the 12th century.
On the other hand, Cardinal Vincent Nichols, archbishop of Westminster and leader of the church in England and Wales, has said he sees no need for change. “I don’t think we are in a [vocations] crisis in England and Wales.” he told the Irish Catholic in February, adding: “I personally value … the celibacy of the priesthood.”
Photo Credits: St. Louis Review
