Rome - Pope Francis is expected to decide on Wednesday
whether to make a limited exception to the celibacy rule for priests,
one of the most controversial issues in the Catholic Church today.
In October, a summit of bishops known as a synod proposed allowing
married men into the priesthood, only in the Amazon area, to address
the serious shortage of clergy in remote parts of the rainforest
region.
The pope is due to respond to the synod with an Apostolic
Exhortation. The Vatican said the document, called "Querida Amazonia"
(Dear Amazon), would be published at noon (1100 GMT).
If the pope decides to allow married priests, this could exacerbate
tensions with his conservative critics, who see his papacy as
excessively liberal.
Traditionalists fear that any opening could eventually lead to the
complete abolition of the celibacy rule for priests, which is not
part of church dogma but has been in place since the Middle Ages.
If Francis confirms the status quo, however, he would estrange
progressives, such as the German Catholic Church, which is among
those most supportive of change.
Francis' document is also expected to address other issues discussed
by the regional synod, including social justice and climate change,
minority rights and the role of women in the church.
A previous bone of contention between traditionalists and the pope
was his decision in 2016 to soften a ban on Holy Communion for
remarried divorcees, as proposed by a previous synod.