What Did Pope Francis Really Say About Married Priests?

Publicly nothing has been said. Several news outlets, however, have reported that Pope Francis has indicated to certain Cardinals and Bishops that in certain areas of the world where there is an extreme shortage of priests he is open to a discussion about whether permitting the ordination of married men in those areas would be of benefit to the church.

Notice how delicately I worded that sentence. That is because not only has Pope Francis not commented publicly on the matter but the rumored comments by the Holy Father on the matter have been extremely limited in scope.

This matter has only specifically been linked, in theory, to the Catholic Church in Brazil regarding Catholic communities in the Amazon. It has been reported that the question of possibly ordaining married men in only that region will be discussed at the 2019 synod on the Amazon.

Even if the synod would recommend or ask for the ordination of viri probati in the Pan-Amazon area, it is important to note that the Pope still would have to accept the request and make it into law, and it would most likely be limited to that area. . .

According to all accounts, the Pope has said nothing publicly and of what he is reported to have privately said only amounts to being open to a discussion about the issue in very limited regions.