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Vatican City –
In the midst of the scandal of sexual abuse and the dwindling number of priests in the world, the Vatican lays the groundwork for formal debate on a long-taboo subject: allowing the ordination of married men in places of the world where they are rare.
Pope Francis has convened next year a synod of South American bishops on the situation of the Church in the Amazon, an immense territory with very few priests. One of the subjects to be studied will of course be the ordination of men with proven virtues, the "viri probati".
Italian television will broadcast a two-hour documentary this week. "The election: priests and love", a dozen men from four European countries who clandestinely with women have created their own unauthorized ecclesial communities, where married priests officiate or have left the priesthood to marry .
The documentary, which will be released today Discovery Italyargues that many of these men would be happy to return to the priesthood and offer their pastoral services.
His situation has the sympathy of Francisco, who for some time has been willing to consider the "viri probati" to meet the pastoral needs of the Amazon. He also expressed his solidarity with the priests who made the anxious decision to resign.
Vocatio, an Italian association of "married priests", promised in a letter to Francisco a few weeks ago, its solidarity with the Pope to face the global consequences of abuse and offered his pastoral services. "We would like you to take into account the opportunity to allow our active presence in diocesan activity, given our experience and our competence in the sacraments we have lived: ministry and marriage," wrote the group.
"The possibility of having" viri probati "would be a grand opening, a big step forward," said Mocciaro. With this, the Church and the public will accept the possibility that there are married and single priests. (I)
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