Estimated read time: Less than a minute
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
ST. LOUIS (AP) — For the first time in nearly a century, a married priest has been ordained by the Maronite Catholic Church in the United States.
The ceremony Thursday night for Wissam Akiki was witnessed by hundreds of supporters — including his wife and daughter — in St. Louis.
Maronites are among more than a dozen Eastern Catholic church groups in the U.S. that accept the pope's authority but have many of their own rituals and liturgy.
Eastern Catholic churches in the Middle East and Europe ordain married men. The Vatican banned the practice in America in the 1920s, after Latin-rite bishops complained it was confusing parishioners, but Pope John Paul II called for greater acceptance.
Over the years, popes have made exceptions. Pope Francis gave permission for Akiki to be ordained.
Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
