Rome
At the first gathering of Catholic bishops under Pope Benedict XVI, church leaders this week affirmed the doctrine of priestly celibacy. A handful of bishops had urged that celibacy rules be relaxed, so that some married men could become priests. Such a move, they said, would help ease the dire shortage of clergy that has forced many dioceses to go without proper Communion. But as expected, the synod overwhelmingly endorsed a continuation of the celibacy tradition. It also upheld a longstanding ban against allowing remarried people to take Communion.
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