A Belgian bishop has said that the debate over married priests in the Latin Church is no longer theoretical, but a question of timing.
In an 11-page pastoral letter published on March 20, Bishop Johan Bonny of Antwerp announced his intention to ordain married men as priests in his diocese by 2028.
The bishop set out how he intends to implement the conclusions of the recent Synod on Synodality at diocesan level, arguing that the Church must confront what he described as a near-collapse in local vocations. “The question is no longer whether the Church can ordain married men as priests, but when it will do so, and who will do it,” he wrote.
