Prominent Irish priest has urged Pope Francis to “bite the bullet” and allow married men to be ordained.
Hopes for reform in the Catholic Church suffered a blow earlier this month when the pontiff unexpectedly ruled against the ordination of married men in Brazil’s remote Amazon region.
Bishops had backed the measure last year in a bid to tackle the shortage of Catholic clerics in the vast region, but the decision required the Pope’s approval to be implemented.
Advocates for reform had hoped a papal blessing for married men to become priests in the Amazon might lead to the introduction of a similar initiative in Ireland.
But Fr. Brendan Hoban, co-founder of the 1,000-strong Association of Catholic Priests, said he still remains hopeful that the pontiff will give the green light to married men joining the fold.
He said: “The door Francis seemed to slam will be opened, because there is no workable alternative. No priests, no Mass, no Church.
“Francis suggested that we should pray for more vocations. That’s not possible. We’ve been mithering God with our prayers for more vocations for ages, but we’re not listening to the pregnant silence from above.”
However, in his latest Western People column, published also on The Association of Catholic Priests’ website, the outspoken Co. Mayo-based clergyman said he is still confident that the pontiff still will give the go-ahead for married men to be ordained.
He added: “Francis has been damaged by the delay. Talk rather than action. PR rather than substance. Is it too much to expect that old age eventually makes decision-making too difficult? Why bother anymore?
“If 80% of the bishops, representing the bishops of the world, agree a position, can it possibly be delayed and delayed, recognising the damage that will do? Is there a limit to the amount of discerning that needs to be done when something so obvious and so necessary are staring us in the face? There are other more difficult and more complex issues to be faced, but not this one.
“Francis needs to bite this bullet. Soon.”
