Pope Francis said in an interview that he is open to the possibility of allowing some married to perform priestly duties, including becoming ordained as priests.
The Pope, who spoke to a German weekly newspaper, expressed an openness to studying whether so-called "viri probati" — or married men of proven faith — could do some of the jobs of a fully ordained priest, according to The Associated Press.
"We must consider if viri probati is a possibility. Then we must determine what tasks they can perform, for example, in remote communities," he was quoted as saying.
The Pope’s comments come as the Catholic community grows worldwide, but the number of priests dwindles.
The Economist reported in January that the number of Catholics connected to a parish has risen from 46 million to 67 million over the past half-century, while the number of priests has fallen from 59,000 to 38,000.
The Roman Catholic Church is the largest religious body in Texas, according to the Texas State Historical Association, with nearly 4.7 million parishioners as of 2010.
On the campus of the University of Dallas, a Catholic university in Irving, the faculty is quick to emphasize that Pope Francis is not opening the doors to all married men.
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“What Pope Francis is not saying is that priests who have already been ordained could start dating and eventually get married,” said Ted Whapham, Dean of the Neuhoff School of Ministry.
A priest’s vow of celibacy is part of canonical law – laws created by the church to govern itself – as opposed to matters of revelation, which are laws deemed to be created by God. The Pope alone can make changes to the canon.
Whapham said he is not surprised that Pope Francis would consider such a change to long-held Catholic traditions.
“His emphasis over and over again has been about caring for people. And if the church can change its rules to make an additional exception that allows its central mission to be carried out then I think that’s not a bad thing to give some consideration to,” Whapham said.
It is not entirely unheard of for Catholic priests to be married, or even have children. There are approximately 200 married priests in the United States, many of whom are former Episcopal priests who converted to Catholicism.
At least three of those priests reside in North Texas – one each in Allen, Arlington and Dallas.
