Pope Francis has ruled out making celibacy optional for Catholic priests, describing celibacy as a “gift for the church”.
Speaking to reporters which on board a plane returning from Panama on Sunday – where he had attended World Youth Day events, the Pope reportedly said: “Personally, I think that celibacy is a gift for the church and I do not agree with allowing celibacy to be optional.”
He said he will not be changing the rules surrounding celibacy which is not a formal doctrine of the church and so open to change.
In other comments made on the flight, the Pope expressed his support for the “suffering” people of Venezuela, adding that what scares him is “bloodshed”. “The problem of violence terrifies me…”
The Pope also warned against “inflated” expectations ahead of a meeting of the heads of bishops conferences around the world in February at which the issue of clerical sexual abuse will be discussed. He said the meeting was planned because of a realisation that many bishops did not know how to respond to the situation.
