Pope Francis takes on conservative critics with defiant jibe as Vatican infighting escalat

In what appears to have been a jibe at traditional conservatives within the Catholic Church, Pope Francis warned against self-righteousness and what he derided as “self-canonisation”. Allowing married men to be ordained in remote Amazon areas with severe shortages of priests would subvert the church’s practice of upholding priestly celibacy. It would also help the church compete with evangelical and Protestant churches that have been increasingly winning converts there. Francis urged fellow Catholics to embrace fresh ways of evangelisation, saying the church must “open new roads for the proclamation of the Gospel”.

A gathering in the Vatican that lasted three weeks led to a vote in which more than 180 bishops recommended ordination of married men with established families to help minister to the region’s faithful.

Francis expressed gratitude that the bishops spoke with “sincerity and candor”. He has said he will put his response in writing by year’s end.

Addressing the public in St Peter’s Square yesterday, Francis said he and other participants of the gathering felt spurred to “leave comfortable shores” in seeking new ways to carry out the church’s core mission to spread the Catholic faith.

His critics, including so-called traditionalist Catholics, insist the Vatican adheres strictly to centuries-old rules demanding that priests be celibate, unmarried men.

However, in the first centuries of the church, married men did serve as priests. Even the first pope, St Peter, hand-picked by Jesus, was married.

Francis’ controversial, convention-defying policies have led to murmurs of growing opposition in the Catholic Church.

Another unorthodox feature of the current Pope’s tenure is his appointing of cardinals from less notorious churches spanning further across the globe. Just last month, cardinals from less established countries such as Morocco, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Lithuania were appointed.

His critics have grown impatient with this policy, including Francis’ predecessor Benedict XVI, who demanded he remained domiciled in an apartment on Vatican grounds amid his own doubts of Francis’ methods.

Equally concerning for Francis is the opposition coming from outside the Vatican, as his right wing opponents include notable figures such as Italian Politician Matteo Salvini.

READ MORE:End of the world: 900-year-old prophecy claims Pope will mark doomsday

The right-wing politician has also enlisted the help of former White House strategist Steve Bannon, whose Brussels-based international group, ‘The Movement’, was denied access to the Vatican for political training.

During a meeting in Washington in April 2016, Bannon – who would within a few months take up his role as head of Trump’s presidential campaign – suggested the leader of the Lega party should start openly targeting Pope Francis.

Salvini has just made huge gains in traditionally left wing regions of Italy as his Lega Party looks to take a grip of Rome.

Donatella Tesei, a senator for the League, who was also backed by the far-right Brothers of Italy and former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi’s Forza Italia, won the top seat as governor with 57.6 percent of the votes.

The result restores control to Mr Salvini after a political blunder led to his party losing a spot in the country’s national government this summer.

source: express.co.uk