"In the Western Church to which I belong, priests cannot be married as in the Byzantine, Ukrainian, Russian or Greek Catholic Churches. In those churches, the priests can be married, but the bishops have to be celibate. They are very good priests."
Pope Francis was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of Vatican City from 2013 to 2025. Born in Buenos Aires, he was the first pope from the Americas and the first Jesuit pope. He died on April 21, 2025.