Pope Francis signaled a possible revision of the church's centuries-old requirement that priests not marry, calling celibacy a "temporary prescription."
In an interview, the 86-year-old pontiff said "there is no contradiction for a priest to marry."
"Celibacy in the Western Church is a temporary prescription: I do not know if it is settled in one way or another, but it is temporary in this sense," he said, according to a transcript provided by Infobae.
"It is not eternal like priestly ordination, which is forever, whether you like it or not. Whether you leave or not is another matter, but it is forever. On the other hand, celibacy is a discipline."
Asked if celibacy could be reviewed, the pope replied, "Yes, yes," the transcript showed.
"In fact, everyone in the Eastern Church is married," he said. "Or those who want to. There they make a choice. Before ordination there is the choice to marry or to be celibate."
Francis also said he doesn't think optional celibacy would lead more men to choose the priesthood.
It's not the first time the Pope has talked about celibacy for priests and his changing attitude on married priests.
"Personally, I think that celibacy is a gift to the Church," he said in January 2019, the Catholic News Agency reported at the time. "I would say that I do not agree with allowing optional celibacy, no" — explaining there was room to consider exceptions for married priests.
On March 10, delegates to the German Church's Synodal Way assembly voted to call on the Pope to "reexamine" the celibacy doctrine and consider the ordination of women as priests, the CNA reported.
Jonathan Morris, a former Catholic priest and commentator, told the Washington Times "there is a crisis in parish leadership today."
"It's not easy to find a parish church where your priest actually speaks to your heart and to your needs in a way that is compelling and authentic," he said, adding: "Sadly, lack of inspiration from the pulpit is the least of our concerns; many parishes are also tarred by scandal."
Morris told the Washington Times that opening the priesthood to married men "who have lived lives of proven virtue would be a first step toward solving the urgent need for leadership renewal in our parishes and dioceses."