Sentence:  Furthermore, the large numbers of conversions in the Vietnamese polities of Tonkin and Cochinchina, widely publicized in Europe in the 1650s by jesuit Alexandre de Rhodes, had caused a dilemma. There were not enough priests to minister to these expanding flocks, yet the <WSD>ecclesiasts</WSD> of the Padroado Church were reluctant to sanction the ordination of local Christians. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  A cleric; someone (such as a priest) who administers a church (ecclesia) or other religious gathering/group.