Pope Francis said this Friday (10) that celibacy within the Catholic Church could be “revised” because it is a “temporary recipe” within the Western Church, during an interview published in Argentine media.
“There is no contradiction for a priest to be able to marry. Celibacy in the Western Church is a temporal prescription. I don’t know if it’s resolved one way or another, but it’s temporary in that sense,” Francis said from his residence in Santa Marta, Vatican City, speaking to Argentine digital media outlet Infobae on the 10th anniversary of his papacy.
Asked if the celibacy issue “could be reviewed”, the pontiff said “yes, yes”, adding that all members of the Eastern Church who wish to marry are allowed, so “there is a choice there”.
Priests can marry in Orthodox and Eastern Rite churches, as well as in Protestant and Anglican churches.
The Catholic Church teaches that the priest must dedicate himself totally to his vocation, essentially taking the Church as his wife, in order to help him fulfill his mission.
However, while priestly celibacy is a tradition that dates back some 1,000 years, it is not considered dogma or an immutable piece of Church teaching.
Source: CNN Brasil
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