Pope Francis turned down an opportunity, pushed by left-leaning bishops, to allow for married priests and female deacons to serve Catholics in the Amazon, where clergy are scarce, keeping the Catholic Church’s tradition of priestly celibacy and an all-male priesthood alive.
The Pope issued his decision in a 32-page letter entitled “Beloved Amazon,” on Wednesday, shattering progressive hopes and providing a measure of relief to his conservative critics, who feared that the bishops’ proposal would usher in a degredation of the priesthood worldwide.
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