United States: Some priests in favor of ordaining married men

The Association of U.S. Catholic Priests, which claims to have 1,000 members, is asking the bishops of the country “to start the dialogue” about the ordination of married men. According to an article published on February 3, 2015, by the American weekly newspaper National Catholic Reporter (NCR), the request was sent on January 23 to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). In this letter, the priests state that “The time has come. The door is open. The need for this is urgent.” Fr. Bob Bonnot, president of the association, remarked to NCR that “the ministerial priesthood needs creative options. The witness that could come from married priests serving the Church ... is a crucial option to be explored.” NCR notes that to date the association has received no official response to its demand.

(Sources: apic/ncr – DICI no. 310 dated February 13, 2015)