Bishop Johan Bonny seeks to ordain married men by 2028

Johan Bonny, the Bishop of Antwerp, has reaffirmed his goal to allow the ordination of married men to the priesthood within his diocese by 2028. This initiative seeks to address a severe shortage of priests in Flemish dioceses.

In an interview with Herder Korrespondenz, Bishop Bonny stated that he presented this proposal to the Dicastery for the Clergy and the General Secretariat of the Synod during a visit to Rome in June. While he is continuing discussions with the Belgian Episcopal Conference and potential candidates, the Vatican has not yet issued any public approval or formal endorsement for the proposal.

Bonny linked the success of this initiative to the implementation phase of the Synod on Synodality. He suggested that failing to reach an agreement by the end of the synodal process in autumn 2028 would be a “painful blow” to the credibility and effectiveness of the entire synodal process. He noted that canon lawyers have indicated there are various legal ways to resolve the issue, though no specific mechanism has been confirmed.