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Rome (CNN) - Pope Francis opened a very controversial three-week summit this Sunday that could open the way for some married men to become Catholic priests.
The meeting, which focuses on environmental and religious issues in the Amazon region, will address the question of whether some respected married older men could be ordained to help overcome the shortage of priests in remote areas of the region.
If approved, it would be the first time for the Catholic Church and it would nullify centuries of tradition of a celibate priesthood.
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That possibility has caused outrage among conservative groups that have been protesting with prayer vigils after US Cardinal Raymond Burke and Bishop Athanasius Schneider of Kazakhstan asked for "a prayer and fasting crusade" for 40 days throughout the meeting. .
Earlier this week, some 200 Catholics, calling themselves a "spiritual army," formed, with rosaries in their hands, under the statue of St. Michael the Archangel near the Vatican, to pray for the meeting, also called the Synod .
Pope Francis opened the meeting that focuses on environmental and religious issues in the Amazon region.
Discord
However, the battle to order married men may not be as controversial as fear.
Canadian Cardinal Marc Ouellet, who heads the powerful office for Vatican bishops and will vote at the synod, said he will go against the proposal.
"I am skeptical and I think I am not the only one," Ouellet said at a press conference in Rome on Wednesday.
"There is someone above me who is even more skeptical, who has authorized the debate and that's fine," he said, in an apparent reference to Pope Francis.
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Conservatives are not the only groups dissatisfied with the meeting.
Catholic women's groups, including nuns, have also been protesting with posters in front of the Vatican, demanding the right to vote at the meeting.
A total of 185 men, composed of priests and bishops, will vote on the proposals. A group of 35 women will participate, mostly nuns, but they do not have the right to vote.
The meeting is held behind closed doors for three weeks. Voting members have the opportunity to speak, usually for about 10 minutes each, on issues related to the agenda.
The agenda, called by its Latin name “Instrumentum Laboris” or “working document”, consists of 147 points, which are condensed in a final document and voted at the end of the Synod by a “yes” or “no” “vote .
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Point 129 of the Instrumentum Laboris contains the suggestion that “the possibility of priestly ordination for the elderly, preferably indigenous, respected and accepted by their community, even if they have an existing and stable family, to ensure the availability of the sacraments be studied. that accompany and sustain the Christian life. ”
Included in item 129 is the issue of the role of women.
"Identify the type of official ministry that can be conferred on women, taking into account the central role they play today in the Church in the Amazon."
The proposals approved by the meeting will be sent to Pope Francis for a final decision.
Delia Gallagher reported from Rome, while Tara John wrote in London.
Catholic Church
