SYNOD Bishops reject change to priest celibacy rule

The 250 prelates will vote on a set of proposals for presentation to the pope.
VATICAN CITY (AP) -- Rejecting any change to celibacy for priests, bishops from around the world suggested dioceses share clergy and step up recruiting to cope with a priest shortage that makes it difficult for many Roman Catholics to attend Mass regularly, the Vatican said Saturday.
The 250 prelates attending the Oct. 2-23 Synod of Bishops have drawn up an initial set of proposals to vote on in the coming week and present to Pope Benedict XVI for his consideration in a future document.
The Vatican released summaries of various working groups that drafted the proposals, none of which suggested reconsidering the requirement that priests remain celibate. Several reaffirmed the value of a celibate priesthood.
Addressing shortage
A group of French-speaking bishops discussed letting married men be ordained, but the proposal "has not reached majority approval," the Most Rev. Paul-Andre Durocher of Canada said in a report on the group's work.
The priest shortage has been a major theme of the synod, with some bishops complaining that their faithful can attend Mass only once a month because there are too few priests to go around.
Some liberal Catholics and church reformers say lifting the celibacy requirement would alleviate the shortage by encouraging more men to enter seminaries. They have also suggested letting women be deacons, but neither suggestion made it into the summaries of the work of the discussion groups.
Deacons can preside at funerals and weddings, among other duties, but cannot celebrate Mass.
At least two groups suggested dioceses with extra priests share them with those in need, while several said dioceses should do more to encourage more men to become priests and deacons.
"An indigenous clergy is the expected result of the church's presence in a region," U.S. Bishop Donald Wuerl said in summarizing the work of an English discussion group. "However, local churches should be open to sharing priests."
The list of proposals, which will be voted on next Saturday, is not expected to be released to the public. However, a synod spokesman, the Rev. John Bartunek, said the summaries of the working groups accurately reflected what the proposals would be.
Considering annulments
The bishops also recommended no changes to the prohibition on giving Holy Communion to divorced Catholics who remarry without getting an annulment or a church declaration that the first marriage was invalid. They said church tribunals handling annulment cases should make the process more efficient.
Church teaching says such Catholics cannot receive Communion because their situation "objectively contrasts with God's law."
Obtaining annulments, however, can be costly and time-consuming for the affected faithful.
"One will attempt to reach them with a compassionate attitude, so that one may offer them guidance and support to permit them to clarify their situation with a suitable canonical process," said Archbishop Alberto Giraldo Jaramillo of Colombia, who summarized the work of a Spanish discussion group.