Pope Francis says church may consider making married men priests

Pope Francis has said that the church may consider ordaining married men who could potentially then work in remote areas facing a shortage of priests.

'We must think about whether viri probati are a possibility,” Francis said in an interview published on Thursday. He was referring to older, married men who are already involved in church business.

'Then we have to decide what tasks they can take on, for example in remote communities,' he said in the interview with German weekly Die Zeit.

Many in the church believe, given the lack of priests in many places, that a new path to ordination should be opened.

They think that in addition to priests who take a vow of celibacy, older, married men with a long commitment to the church could also be considered as priests.