New Zealand’s National Synod Synthesis has been compiled and released to the public. The diocesan documents were synthesised at a national meeting held in Wellington in June. The introduction to the national document says participants throughout the country “spoke positively and with love about the place the Church has in their lives. “They want the Read more
An Irish Archdiocese’s pastoral plan is being described as a “blueprint for transitioning the Church to this new era of inclusivity”. Everyone, including divorced or separated people, LGBT+, migrants and minorities should all feel they belong to Catholic parishes, as should “those who consider themselves ‘cultural Catholics’,” it says. In addition, “images of families used Read more
Catholic women have clapped back at Pope Francis after he called their struggle for ordination “clericalist” and “disrespectful”. According to Novena News, the women’s response is a reaction to Francis statement that women do not need to be priests in order to lead in the church. Novena News reports that many Catholic women remain unhappy Read more
Pope Francis used his post-Angelus remarks to call for more female leadership in the church. He would like women to “participate more in areas of responsibility in the church.” “Today there is a need to broaden the spaces for a more incisive female presence in the church,” he said on October 11, “because in general Read more
The New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference (NZCBC) has announced the appointment of Siobhan Dilly as its new executive officer. Siobhan comes to the role with a strong background in business management. She is currently the Policy Analyst and Projects Manager for the New Zealand Catholic Education Office, after working in organisational management and executive support Read more
Catholic women are often overlooked in Church history. Donna Quinn in Chicago Catholic Women: Its Role in Founding the Catholic Women’s Movement and Marian Ronan and Mary O’Brien in Women of Vision: Sixteen Founders of the International Grail Movement are changing this. Read more
En route to Rome, after his visit to Sweden, a journalist asked Pope Francis “Is it realistic to think of women priests also in the Catholic Church in the coming decades?” The world is finding it hard to adjust to a Pope who speaks off the cuff. He has been dubbed “the Pope of the Read more
In Fiji the National Catholic Women’s League will be hosting the World Union of Catholic Women’s Organisation (WUCWO) meeting in Suva. League president Selina Lee Wah said preparation had started as the meeting, which would bring in participants from 13 countries, will be held in May. The World Union of Catholic Women’s Organisations (WUCWO) was founded Read more
During her time in Hebron, Palestine, Cory Lockhart carried alcohol pads in her pockets to counter the effects of tear gas and tried to make sure that Israeli soldiers saw that she, a Westerner, witnessed their actions. As a member of a Christian Peacemaker Team, Lockhart lived and witnessed in six-week stints with the Palestinian Read more
A global network of Catholic women has called on male prelates to include more female experiences and voices in discussions at the synod on the family. A collection of 40 short essays by Catholic women, titled Catholic Women Speak: Bringing Our Gifts to the Table, is to be launched in Rome on October 1. Pope Read more