Brazil may soon have married priests

[shrike]

https://www.ncronline.org/news/vatican/brazil-may-soon-have-married-priests-says-leonardo-boff

Pope Francis may soon fulfill the Brazilian bishops' special request to allow married priests to resume their priestly ministry, liberation theologian Leonardo Boff said in a Dec. 25 interview in the German daily Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger.

"The Brazilian bishops, especially the pope's close friend Cardinal Claudio Hummes, have expressly requested Pope Francis to enable married priests in Brazil to return to their pastoral ministry," Boff said. "I have recently heard that the pope wants to fulfil this request — as an experimental, preliminary phase for the moment confined to Brazil."

snip

As far as inner-church reforms were concerned, it is possible that the pope has further surprises up his sleeve, Boff said.

"Only recently, Cardinal Walter Kasper, who is close to the pope, said we could expect some big surprises shortly. So, who knows, maybe we can expect women deacons?"

[rug]

1. It may have to.

"With its 140 million Catholics, Brazil needs at least 100,000 priests but it only has 1,800".

But there are better reasons to alter the rules on celibacy than dire necessity.

More to the point, the rationales for male priests only are neither sound nor infallible, despite what the traditionalists claim.

[shrike]

2. Yes, there are better reasons, but this is the way it's going to happen

I've felt for a long time it would take a priest shortage. Don't forget, the RCC is a largely third world church. A church operating in extremely conservative cultures. A lot of the issues we're worried about in America aren't even on the radar over there. We need to take victories as they come.