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Local Catholics have mixed feelings on consideration of married priests in Amazon

Pope Francis on Sunday said the church needed to leave the door open to the possibility of having married priests.

CLEVELAND — A regal marker of Cleveland's strong Catholic community, is St. John Cathedral. There's no shortage of priests in this city, but that's not the case in South America's Amazon region.

"There are villages, that if they're lucky, they get a priest once a year to come in and then celebrate the eucharist, hear confessions, and anoint the sick," Religion News Service Senior Analyst,Thomas Reese, told NBC.

To cope with the shortfall, bishops from that vast part of the world are recommending married men get ordained as priests.

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According to NBC, the bishops suggest the married priests be "suitable and recognized men of the community," and have a "legally constituted and stable family."

Back in Cleveland, some traditional Catholics heading into St. John on Monday, told us accepting married priests, is going too far.

"No, I don't agree. There's a reason why they're not married," Rita Martini, of North Olmsted, said. "There's no way they could serve their family, and a community, and their parish. There's just no way. One would suffer."

Jim Gunter, of Bedford, agrees. "I don't believe priests should be married. I'm not for it."

Some are for "it," though. Mary Summers, of Cleveland, told us priests should experience the same joys in life as the rest of us.

"Definitely. They should have been married all along ... have a family like the rest of us."

Ultimately, it's not up to anyone but Pope Francis, who on Sunday said the church needs to leave that door open for the proclamation of the gospel.

Pope Francis has also ruled out one additional idea: Allowing women to become priests. He did, however, agree to consider them as Deacons.

The Vatican says Pope Francis will consider both the female deacons and married priests, responding in the form of a letter he hopes to write by the end of the year.

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