Are Married Priests in Catholicism's Future?
Pope Francis said Thursday that he's open to the idea of ordaining married men to serve as priests in remote areas suffering from priest shortages.
It was unclear Friday, however, what impact this discussion will have on the United States, which is also experiencing a shortage of priests.
In an interview published Thursday with Germany's Die Zeit, Francis said while removing the celibacy rule is not the answer to the Catholic Church's priest shortage, he was open to studying whether "viri probati" — or married men of proven faith — could be ordained.
