<P> In a conversation with Bishop Erwin Krautler about mandatory celibacy on 4 April 2014, the Pope also spoke about a possible mechanism for a change starting with national bishop conferences . These conferences would </P> <P> seek and find consensus on reform and we should then bring up our suggestions for reform in Rome....The pope explained that he could not take everything in hand personally from Rome . We local bishops, who are best acquainted with the needs of our faithful, should be' corajudos,' that is' courageous' in Spanish, and make concrete suggestions...It was up to the bishops to make suggestions, the pope said again . </P> <P> In 2018 Francis showed that he wanted the topic discussed, beginning with remote areas like Amazonia that have a shortage of priests . </P> <P> Exceptions to the rule of celibacy for priests of the Latin Church are sometimes granted by authority of the Pope, when married Protestant clergy become Catholic . Thus married Anglicans have been ordained to the Catholic priesthood in personal ordinariates and through the United States Pastoral Provision . Because the rule of celibacy is an ecclesiastical law and not a doctrine, it can, in principle, be changed at any time by the Pope . Nonetheless, both Pope Benedict XVI and his predecessors have spoken clearly of their understanding that the traditional practice was not likely to change . </P>

When did the catholic church disallow priests to marry