US EditionBelgian Bishop Challenges Pope Leo to Allow Married Priests by 2028
Bishop Bonny aims to address priest shortages by seeking Vatican approval to ordain married men by 2028, citing a near zero replacement rate, challenging centuries-old celibacy rules.
- On March 20, Johan Bonny, bishop of Antwerp, said he will press the Vatican for permission to ordain married men by 2028 and will make 'every effort' to identify and train candidates, though he did not specify acting without papal approval.
- Faced with dwindling clergy, Bonny argued the move responds to a steady decline in men studying for the priesthood since 2012 and falling replacement rates.
- Married clergy already exist in Eastern-rite Catholic Churches, and Bonny said his diocese depends on foreign priests from Eastern Europe and the Middle East who are often married; bishops in the 1.4-billion-member Church vow obedience to the pope and rarely announce actions contradicting Church teaching.
- A Vatican spokesperson did not immediately respond, and Pope Leo has not spoken at length about the possibility of married priests, despite Bonny's push for approval.
- If approved, the change would mark a major doctrinal shift resisted by pontiffs for decades and proponents say it could attract more men amid long-term clergy recruitment declines.
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Belgian bishop announces plan to ordain married men as priests
A Belgian bishop said he intends to start ordaining married men to priesthood by 2028, in a move seemingly intended at pressuring Pope Leo XIV on the issue.Bishop Johan Bonny of Antwerp speaks to the press in September 2023. Credit: Nicolas Maeterlinck / Belga Photo.Subscribe nowBishop Johan Bonny of the Diocese of Antwerp published March 20 a document outlining the application of the synod on synodality in his diocese. In it, he said that “the …
Johan Bonny has a controversial solution for the shortage of priests in his Antwerp diocese: the ordination of married men. He also wants women...
New Strait Times
Belgian bishop challenges Pope Leo to allow married priests by 2028
BRUSSELS/VATICAN CITY: A Catholic bishop said he would push the Vatican for permission to ordain married men as priests by 2028, in an unusual statement that may test Pope Leo’s willingness to change Church teaching to address the issue of dwindling clergy numbers.
The Roman Catholic Church refuses such ordinations, but the Bishop of Antwerp wants to move the debate forward. ...
Belgian Bishop Demands Pope Leap to Married Priests by 2028
A Catholic bishop announced plans to seek Vatican approval to ordain married men as priests by 2028. This statement, unusual for the Church, could challenge Pope Leo XIV’s potential openness to alter Church doctrine to counteract a declining clergy population. The Catholic Church has traditionally upheld a celibate priesthood for centuries. While recent popes have the authority to adjust this practice, such changes have historically faced strong…
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