Calgary's Catholic bishop is pressuring the Vatican to allow him to ordain married aboriginal men. Catholic priests are required to practise celibacy, but that law has only been in place for half of the religion's history.
It was made 1,000 years ago to keep priests from willing church land to their spouses.
But Bishop Frederick Henry says he's trying to change that because of a dearth of religious leadership within the native community.
"Well I would hope that we would have perhaps a change in legislation," the bishop said.
"We've raised the issue a couple of times in our visits to Rome — that we would like permission to ordain married men on some of our native communities because of just the absence of a native clergy."
Priests from other countries have been brought to Canada because of a shortage here.
While more clergy is badly needed, the bishop said, the church is much more likely to allow men to marry than to allow women into the priesthood, a position he says he personally supports.
"We believe that there is something in terms of the identification with Jesus himself that excludes women [from the priesthood] — but that doesn't necessarily mean that they're not called to holiness," he said.
"I don't see it [ordination of women] as a possibility theologically right now, but I think probably if there were to be a change it would be the whole question of celibacy in a married clergy."
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SIC: AFP