Pope Francis hints he may allow married Catholic men to become priests

Pope Francis this week said that he's open to the idea of married Catholic men being allowed to join the priesthood.

"We need to consider if 'viri probati' could be a possibility," the pope said in an interview with German magazine Die Zeit, per CNN, . "If so, we would need to determine what duties they could undertake, for example, in remote communities."

The rule would only apply to married men who wish to become priests, however, as men who become priests before getting married would have to remain celibate.

Nonetheless, this policy change could help the church attract a broader array of men for the priesthood, as in the past the church has had trouble attracting men who also wish to have family lives.