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A8 WORLD NEWS
Tuesday 29 January 2019

Pope reaffirms priest celibacy but makes case for exception

By NICOLE WINFIELD for the church to consider Francis said.
ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE ordaining so-called viri pro- The celibacy question has
(AP) — Pope Francis is rul- bati, older married men of been a mainstay in Catho-
ing out any lifting of the proven virtue, to minister in lic debate given it is a dis-
celibacy requirement for remote parts of the Ama- cipline, not a doctrine, and
priests but says there's rea- zon where the faithful can therefore can change. The
son to consider ordaining go weeks or months with- church has had the tradi-
older, married men in re- out Mass and evangelical tion since the 11th century,
mote communities where and Pentecostal churches imposed part to spare the
priests are in short supply. are making inroads as a re- church the financial bur-
Francis said he believes sult. dens of providing for large
priestly celibacy is a gift for Francis was asked about families and to ensure that
the Catholic Church and the possibility that the Latin any assets of the priest
opposes a blanket change Rite church might follow would pass to the church,
to make it optional. But he the Eastern rite Catholic not his heirs.
said "pastoral necessity" In this picture taken Sunday, Jan. 27, 2019, Pope Francis, flanked Church, where married Proponents of a relaxation
might justify alternative op- by Vatican spokesman Alessandro Gisotti, answers reporters' men can be ordained. He of the rule say more men
tions in certain parts of the questions aboard the plane after taking off from Panama City. ruled out an across-the- would consider a vocation
world. Associated Press board opening, repeating to the priesthood if they
"I think the problem should a famous phrase by Pope could marry, a surefire fix to
be opened in this sense: or prayed enough about it. open the way for discussion Paul VI, who was also under the decline in priests glob-
Where there's a pastoral But theologians must study about celibacy in the run- pressure in the sexual revo- ally.
problem because of a lack it." up to a big meeting of bish- lution of the 1960s to allow More recently, the issue has
of priests," he said. "I'm not Francis' comments, to re- ops from the Amazon at the married priests. "I'd rather made headlines in the con-
saying it should be done, porters on the way home Vatican in October. Brazil's give my life before chang- text of the sex abuse scan-
because I haven't reflected Sunday from Panama, bishops have long pushed ing the law on celibacy," dal. q

Italy to seek court ruling Dutch must deal with migrant boat

cide that the Dutch have The government on Tues- Sea-Watch 3's plight is the
jurisdiction. Italy won't let day "will affirm that it's not latest in several cases of
the Sea-Watch 3 disembark Italy that must respond in migrants stuck for days
the 47 migrants because this case in the light of na- aboard rescue vessels since
the populist government's tional and international Premier Giuseppe Conte's
anti-migrant policy forbids law." government began in June
humanitarian boats which The statement said the with a pledge to drasti-
rescue migrants in the wa- boat boldly put at risk cally reduce the numbers
ters off Libya to enter Italian the lives of the migrants of rescued migrants reach-
ports and disembark those aboard when, in agitated ing Italian shores. About
they save from foundering waters, it didn't seek shelter 600,000 migrants, many of
smugglers' boats. about 40 nautical miles (46 whom were denied asylum
A statement from the pre- statute miles) away on the by Italy, have reached Italy
mier's office said the cap- Tunisian coast last week, on rescue boats in recent
tain of Sea-Watch 3, which but instead sailed farther years. In a separate crack-
Protesters gather during a demonstration in support of German rescued the migrants on toward Italy. down on migrants, police in
humanitarian group Sea-Watch, in front of the Italian lower
chamber’s Montecitorio palace, in Rome, Monday, Jan. 28, Jan. 19, along with the head Italy, should the Nether- Sicily earlier Monday broke
2019. of the humanitarian mission lands' jurisdiction be recog- up a suspected Nigerian
Associated Press of the German NGO have nized by the court, would drug ring based in a mi-
brought the boat's plight to offer to set up a kind of grant housing complex in
Associated Press migrant rescue boat the attention of the court in "humanitarian corridor" to Mineo. Catania police said
ROME (AP) — Italy has de- stranded off Sicily. Strasbourg. transfer the migrants to that Monday that the ring dealt
cided to ask the European The Italian premier's office It wasn't immediately clear country.Italian news reports in cocaine, marijuana and
human rights court to rule said Monday night that if the court has agreed to have said Dutch authorities other drugs, and acted
that the Netherlands must on Tuesday it will ask the hear any case about Sea- contend it doesn't intend like an organized criminal
deal with a Dutch-flagged France-based court to de- Watch 3. to take the migrants. clan.q