On Sunday, the French newspaper Le Figaro made a startling announcement. The Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI had contributed to a book defending priestly celibacy alongside Cardinal Robert Sarah, prefect of the Vatican Congregation for Divine Worship. The 175-page work, which was due to be published in France on January 15, is entitled Des profondeurs de nos cœurs (“From the Depths of Our Hearts”).
An Italian commentator immediately hailed the work as a “un libro bomba” – a bombshell book. Why? Because Pope Francis will soon release his apostolic exhortation following last October’s Amazon synod. The synod fathers appealed to the Pope to permit married permanent deacons to be ordained as priests so they can administer the sacraments in “the most remote areas of the Amazonian region”. Francis had encouraged discussion of married priests at the synod, but it was unclear whether he favoured the final proposal. With the new book, Benedict XVI and Cardinal Sarah are making a powerful last-minute contribution to the debate.
