Former priest says 'there would be more good leaders' if Pope Francis allowed priests to marry

March 19, 2023 at 11:00

A former Catholic priest who left the vocation to start a family says Pope Francis is "speaking the truth" when he says celibacy is not an essential element to Catholic priesthood.
The pontiff raised eyebrows this week when he told an Argentine publication that the thousand-year-old practice in the western church is a "temporary prescription" and there is "no contradiction for a priest to marry."
"The Catholic Church in the United States right now is in a crisis of leadership," Fox News contributor Jonathan Morris told "America Reports" on Wednesday.
"I have worked with exceptional, exceptional pastors and Catholic priests throughout my years of priesthood.
UNDER LEGAL SCRUTINY, NEW YORK'S ALBANY DIOCESE FILES FOR BANKRUPTCYThe change could result in a larger candidate pool of priests and bishops to serve in the church.
"In the end, we need good leaders and I think there would be more good leaders if married men were allowed to be priests," Morris said.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APPWhile Pope Francis is known to speak out on controversial issues, it is questionable if the idea will come to fruition.
"There are Catholic priests of the Eastern rites even today who are married," he said.
"I think (Pope Francis) has talked a lot about this, but he has done nothing.
He speaks a lot about controversial issues, but he's really made no significant change on this or many other issues.
He has all of the power to do so.
Fox News’ Landon Mion contributed to this report.
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