While the community reels from a shortage of mobeds, the Catholic Church in Bombay has broken with tradition and appointed two married men as deacons. Hindustan Times (HT) columnist Manoj Nair wrote in his column ‘Multiplicity’ on April 10, 2017 that a deacon is ranked lower than a priest and can perform most duties that a priest can, except for conducting mass, hearing confessions and administering sacraments to the ailing. Deacons provide relief to regular priests who may be overworked, especially on Sundays. "Bishops, priests and deacons are part of the hierarchy (of the Church),” according to Fr Gilbert Lima......