Pope Francis has expressed renewed openness to allowing married priests in the Catholic Church.

Experienced married men, or viri probati, could be called into clerical service in rural communities, the pontiff suggested.

'We have to consider what tasks they could perform, for instance in isolated communities,' Francis said in an interview with the German newspaper Die Zeit.

Although the Pope only talked about the possibility of deacons, many theologians and some bishops have suggested these 'tested married men', could also be considered for priestly service.

Francis is looking to address the issue of a falling number of priests, calling it an 'enormous problem'. He said the first response must be prayer along with a focus on 'working with young people who are seeking orientation', according to CruxNow.

He called on the Church to face the challenge 'fearlessly' while not hiding the scale of the issue. A lack of priests weakens the Church 'because a Church without the Eucharist doesn't have strength – the Church makes the Eucharist, but the Eucharist also makes the Church,' he said.

'Fears close doors, freedom opens them, and even when [the space for] liberty is small, it opens a window,' he added.

But he ruled out making celibacy optional for priests, saying that 'is not a solution'.

Roman Catholic clergy have been expected to remain celibate since the 12^th century when the Second Lateran Council in 1139, definitively passed a rule forbidding priests to marry. This was reaffirmed in 1563 at the Council of Trent.

However there are 23 Eastern Churches in full communion with the Catholic Church whose clergy are allowed to marry.