On Monday, the Vatican released the long-awaited working document for this year’s Amazon synod. Journalists immediately scanned the text for references to married priests: the proposal that overshadows the synod, which will take place in Rome on October 6-27.
It is widely believed that at the synod’s conclusion participants will appeal to the Pope to permit the ordination of married men in the Amazon region on an ad experimentum basis. It is thought that the Holy Father will approve the request.
The instrumentum laboris issued on Monday sheds light on the matter. The 45-page document says: “Communities have difficulty celebrating the Eucharist frequently because of the lack of priests … Therefore, it is requested that, instead of leaving communities without Eucharist, the criteria for selecting and preparing the authorised ministers to celebrate it should be changed.” The proposal is therefore still very much on the table.
