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Vatican document hints at new debate over married clergy
Source: The Guardian
Vatican document hints at new debate over married clergy
Bishops urged to consider how to broaden church’s reach in the Amazon
Stephanie Kirchgaessner in Rome
Fri 8 Jun 2018 14.25 BST
The Vatican has subtly suggested it is open to a new debate on whether married men and women can serve in official ministries, after it called on Catholic bishops who are working in the Amazon to think “courageously” about how to broaden the church’s reach in the region.
A document published on Friday ahead of a 2019 special synod does not explicitly raise the issue of married men serving as clergy but says Catholic bishops need to think of new ways to allow the faithful to access the Eucharist, and acknowledges that the church is spread “precariously thin” in the region.
It also calls on bishops to consider the role of women in the Amazon, and what ministerial roles they might play, “taking into account the central role women play today in the Amazonian church”.
Cardinal Lorenzo Baldisseri said at a press conference to discuss the document that the church was not making an “official declaration” about the role of married men and women serving in ministries, but he suggested there was room for debate.
“Here we speak of ministry – there are lots of various forms of ministry,” he said. “Let’s leave freedom to the discussion. We are not trying to preclude anything.”
-snip-
Bishops urged to consider how to broaden church’s reach in the Amazon
Stephanie Kirchgaessner in Rome
Fri 8 Jun 2018 14.25 BST
The Vatican has subtly suggested it is open to a new debate on whether married men and women can serve in official ministries, after it called on Catholic bishops who are working in the Amazon to think “courageously” about how to broaden the church’s reach in the region.
A document published on Friday ahead of a 2019 special synod does not explicitly raise the issue of married men serving as clergy but says Catholic bishops need to think of new ways to allow the faithful to access the Eucharist, and acknowledges that the church is spread “precariously thin” in the region.
It also calls on bishops to consider the role of women in the Amazon, and what ministerial roles they might play, “taking into account the central role women play today in the Amazonian church”.
Cardinal Lorenzo Baldisseri said at a press conference to discuss the document that the church was not making an “official declaration” about the role of married men and women serving in ministries, but he suggested there was room for debate.
“Here we speak of ministry – there are lots of various forms of ministry,” he said. “Let’s leave freedom to the discussion. We are not trying to preclude anything.”
-snip-
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jun/08/vatican-document-hints-at-new-debate-over-married-clergy