VATICAN CITY: Catholic bishops gathered at a special Vatican assembly will vote Saturday on whether to recommend Pope Francis to open the priesthood to married men or create female deacons, issues that are taboo for traditionalists.
The ballot comes at the close of a three-week synod on the Pan-Amazonian region which highlighted the challenges facing the region, from the destruction of the rainforest to the exploitation of indigenous peoples and a scarcity in priests.
The pontiff is expected in the coming months to address the issues raised with a document which could have repercussions not only for the vast, isolated territory, but the whole of the Roman Catholic Church.
The synod brought some 184 bishops to the Vatican, over 60 percent of whom hail from the nine Amazon countries.
Together with representatives of indigenous peoples, experts and nuns, they discussed a multitude of regional concerns, from climate change to poverty, land-grabbing, mercury-polluted waters and violence against women.
The bishops will have their say on a final list of proposals, each of which will need to win two thirds of votes to be included in the document then presented to the pope.
All eyes will be on three controversial points which have dominated discussions and riled the Church’s conservative arm.
The most hotly-debated question is whether or not to allow “viri probati” (married “men of proven virtue”) to join the priesthood in remote locations, such as the Amazon, where communities seldom have Mass due to a lack of priests.
Selecting them from among the indigenous populations would also help overcome language barriers.
It would not be necessary to rewrite Church law; bishops could simply ask Francis for an “exemption” to the rules — like the one granted to married Anglican pastors who later converted to Catholicism.
Supporters of the idea point to the fact the Catholic Church is currently failing to compete with evangelical Pentecostal churches, which allow married pastors and are enjoying a boom in the Amazon.
As it stands, Catholics have to wait for itinerant priests — sometimes traveling in small canoes — to reach them in remote corners of the forest. Only priests can consecrate the Eucharist, which is a key part of Catholic Mass.
Even promoters of the idea, however, are not calling for the centuries-old custom of priestly celibacy to be scrapped entirely.
And the ultra-conservative wing of the Catholic Church — particularly in Europe and North America — have refused to counter the idea, warning that making exceptions could pave the way to the abolition of celibacy globally.
Many at the synod are also hoping for an official recognition by the Church of the key role played by lay women in the evangelization of indigenous people by creating formal specific roles for them, termed “ministries.”
There are some who would even like them to be allowed to become deacons, a function currently reserved for lay men.
Male deacons, who can be single or married, are able to baptize, witness marriages, perform funerals and preach homilies.
Two thirds of the indigenous communities without priests are guided by women.
Brazilian Bishop Evaristo Pascoal Spengler said Friday he was very optimistic about a vote in favor of female deacons, pointing out there were deaconesses in the early Church.
Fellow Brazilian Archbishop Alberto Taveira Correa said the proposals on married priests or ministries for women would be submitted “for the discernment of the pope, who will be able to define the possible steps to be taken.”
The last of the three key issues concerns the formal recognition of the richness of indigenous peoples’ culture and liturgy with the creation of an Amazonian rite, which would incorporate their symbols and gestures while maintaining the essence of the Eucharist.
Crunch time for married priests as Vatican assembly votes
Crunch time for married priests as Vatican assembly votes
- The ballot comes at the close of a three-week synod on the Pan-Amazonian region which highlighted the challenges facing the region
- The most hotly-debated question is whether or not to allow ‘viri probati’ (married “men of proven virtue”) to join the priesthood in remote locations
Shooter kills 9 at Canadian school and residence
- The shooter was found dead with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound
- A total of 27 people were wounded in the shooting, including two with serious injuries
TORONTO: A shooter killed nine people and wounded dozens more at a secondary school and a residence in a remote part of western Canada on Tuesday, authorities said, in one of the deadliest mass shootings in the country’s history.
The suspect, described by police in an initial emergency alert as a “female in a dress with brown hair,” was found dead with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, officials said.
The attack occurred in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia, a picturesque mountain valley town in the foothills of the Rockies.
A total of 27 people were wounded in the shooting, including two with serious injuries, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police said in a statement.
Prime Minister Mark Carney said he was “devastated” by the “horrific acts of violence” and announced he was suspending plans to travel to the Munich Security Conference on Wednesday, where he had been set to hold talks with allies on transatlantic defense readiness.
Police said an alert was issued about an active shooter at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School on Tuesday afternoon.
As police searched the school, they found six people shot dead. A seventh person with a gunshot wound died en route to hospital.
Separately, police found two more bodies at a residence in the town.
The residence is “believed to be connected to the incident,” police said.
At the school, “an individual believed to be the shooter was also found deceased with what appears to be a self?inflicted injury,” police said.
Police have not yet released any information about the age of the shooter or the victims.
“We are devastated by the loss of life and the profound impact this tragedy has had on families, students, staff, and our entire town,” the municipality of Tumbler Ridge said in a statement.
Tumbler Ridge student Darian Quist told public broadcaster CBC that he was in his mechanics class when there was an announcement that the school was in lockdown.
He said that initially he “didn’t think anything was going on,” but started receiving “disturbing” photos about the carnage.
“It set in what was happening,” Quist said.
He said he stayed in lockdown for more than two hours until police stormed in, ordering everyone to put their hands up before escorting them out of the school.
Trent Ernst, a local journalist and a former substitute teacher at Tumbler Ridge, expressed shock over the shooting at the school, where one of his children has just graduated.
He noted that school shootings have been a rarity occurring every few years in Canada compared with the United States, where they are far more frequent.
“I used to kind of go: ‘Look at Canada, look at who we are.’ But then that one school shooting every 2.5 years happens in your town and things... just go off the rails,” he told AFP.
‘Heartbreak’
While mass shootings are extremely rare in Canada, last April, a vehicle attack that targeted a Filipino cultural festival in Vancouver killed 11 people.
British Columbia Premier David Eby called the latest violence “unimaginable.”
Nina Krieger, British Columbia’s minister of public safety, said it was “one of the worst mass shootings in our province’s and country’s history.”
The Canadian Olympic Committee, whose athletes are competing in the 2026 Winter Games in Italy, said Wednesday it was “heartbroken by the news of the horrific school shooting.”
Ken Floyd, commander of the police’s northern district, said: “This has been an incredibly difficult and emotional day for our community, and we are grateful for the cooperation shown as officers continue their work to advance the investigation.”
Floyd told reporters the shooter was the same suspect police described as “female” in a prior emergency alert to community members, but declined to provide any details on the suspect’s identity.
The police said officers were searching other homes and properties in the community to see if there were additional sites connected to the incident.
Tumbler Ridge, a quiet town with roughly 2,400 residents, is more than 1,100 kilometers (680 miles) north of Vancouver, British Columbia’s largest city.
“There are no words sufficient for the heartbreak our community is experiencing tonight,” the municipality said.
