Pope wants episcopal conferences to decide on married, says cardinal

Pope wants episcopal conferences to decide on married priests, says cardinal 

 

Cardinal Walter Kasper says the shortage of priests has become critical. "Priests today are often managers with four or five parishes to look after. They have no time for pastoral work."

Christa Pongratz-Lippitt

December 27, 2017

Cardinal Walter Kasper / Johannes Joas / Wikipedia

Cardinal Walter Kasper has told German media he believes Pope Francis favors ordaining married men of proven virtue (known by the Latin term, viri probati), but is also sure the pope wants to leave the decision up to individual bishops’ conferences.
“The (vocation) situation differs so widely in different parts of the world that a uniform worldwide solution is not possible,” the cardinal said on April 6th in a long interview with the German Church’s Internet portal katholisch.de.
The occasion was the 60th anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood.
“Each bishops’ conference must first decide whether it is in favor (of ordaining married men) and...