Married men could become Catholic priests in a landmark proposal which would shift a nearly 1,000-year-old restriction on the pracitce.
A meeting at the Vatican decided that bishops in remote areas of South America could be allowed to be wed and also be priests.
The decision could lead to a landmark change in the Church's centuries-old discipline of celibacy.
The proposal, made in a final document of a three-week assembly, known as a synod, passed by a vote of 128 in favour
and 41 against.
Pope Francis will consider it, along with many others on issues including the environment and the role of women, in a future document of his own.
The pope has previously signalled openness on the issue.
His approval would mean that remote areas of the Amazon would become a de facto experiment for the future of the Catholic Church.
The 82-year-old is expected to respond by the end of the year.
There is a shortage of priests in the region the proposal suggests with this move seen as a potential solution.
If passed it would allow Catholics in isolated areas to attend Mass and receive the sacraments more regularly.
At least 85% of Amazon villages cannot attend Mass every week and some cannot do so for years.
Conservatives oppose the change, fearing it would be a slippery slope leading to a married priesthood throughout the 1.3 billion member Church.
The document said that some bishops in the synod thought the issue of a married priesthood should be discussed on a universal basis.
