The Vatican called for the Catholic Church to consider the possibility of ordaining married men in the Amazon region of South America.
The document released Monday also says the church should consider allowing women to perform “official ministry,” though it did not clarify what roles women would have.
Both issues will be discussed at an assembly of bishops in October.
The Catholic Church has struggled in the remote region to recruit priests, leading the Vatican to debate whether it should break with longstanding Catholic practices. In some parts of the Amazon, the ratio of Catholics to priests is more than 8,000-to-1.
The document maintains priestly celibacy is “gift for the church” but asks bishop to consider ordaining “elders, preferably indigenous, respected and accepted by their community, even if they have a constituted and stable family, for the purpose of ensuring the sacraments which accompany and sustain the Christian life,” according to the Wall Street Journal.
Pope Francis has said the “door is always open” to married men becoming priests in remote areas, though he has not approved of the change.
