Vatican ? While acknowledging the acute shortage of priests in the Roman Catholic Church, bishops from around the world reaffirmed the church’s stance on celibacy for priests Saturday in a set of 50 recommendations they agreed to submit to Pope Benedict XVI.

The proposals, meant for the pope to consider in a future document on the Eucharist, also dealt with whether Communion should be denied to Catholic politicians who support laws that contradict church teaching, such as the right to abortion, as well as the plight of Catholics who divorce and remarry without getting an annulment.

The estimated 250 bishops who gathered for the three-week Synod of Bishops voted behind closed doors on the recommendations, which disappointed some church reform groups by hewing closely to church teaching. The synod, which began Oct. 2, formally ends today with a Mass celebrated by Benedict.