Pope Francis provokes "an insane hope" he says. Hope of reform. Hope that may remain unfulfilled.

"I am one of those people who - as Pope Francis says - live in the Amazon, suffer with it and love it passionately."

He and the other Amazon bishops worked together at the Synod to make sure the situation for the Church in the Amazon is clear and to offer solutions to its immense problems.

The 85-year old Kräutler says at the synod many Amazon bishops expressly called for proven men and women from remote church communities to be ordained as priests.

They voted on the issue of ordaining lay men and women who met the proposed criteria and the outcome showed 80 percent had voted in favour of viri probati (people of proven faith) and the diaconate for women.

"And Pope Francis did not accept it."

Kräutler says the Pope's response was frustrating and disappointing as he "had previously told us bishops: Make bold proposals to me".

Amazon bishops ignored

Kräutler says it is inconceivable that Francis did not mention the Amazon bishops' proposal at all in his final document of the synod.

He feels pessimistic about the universal Church's synodal process. He says "Nothing will come of it - nothing was achieved but expenses".

He does not believe this October's universal church synod will discuss "pressing reform issues" at all.

Reform inevitable

Yet Kräutler predicts that Church reform in the Amazon region is inevitable.

He says as a young "itinerant bishop" in remote areas he was often asked his wife's whereabouts. Celibacy isn't a concept that fits into the Amazonian reality. His response that he was unmarried resulted in strange looks.

Eventually he escaped the strange looks by lying. He told enquirers that "my wife is far, far away".

The villagers regretted this loneliness "but at least there were no more strange reactions".

Married priests are among the reforms he sees coming.

"Married priests will come first, then the diaconate for women. Women priests will be the next stage."

In Kräutler's view, the reasons Francis won't ordain women - to protect them from clericalism - is "a joke".

He says "the unordained men in the Amazon region are much more clerical than the women who lead parishes".

Furthermore he knows "no woman who lives clericalism - not one. We need women - also in ministries.

"It cannot be that ancient men design a theology of women."

Next steps

Kräutler hopes the next pope will bring back a "springtime for the Church" - similar to the one he experienced as a young man at the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965).

Francis has set the reform process in motion and the Church could not go back on the approaches he initiated, Kräutler says.

Source

• katholisch.de

Their vision continues despite Pope Francis saying a very public 'No' to the idea as recently as last week's CBS News interview.

No way

During the CBS interview, Francis said he is not open to the possibility of ordaining women deacons.

He clarified his stance saying "Women have always had, I would say, the function of deaconesses without being deacons, right?

"Women are of great service as women, not as ministers, as ministers in this regard, within the holy orders" said Francis, referring to the sacrament of ordination.

Disappointment

"I was quite devastated to see his response" said Kate McElwee, executive director of the Women's Ordination Conference.

The Conference also advocates for women's ordination as priests and bishops - which Francis has also clearly vetoed.

But McElwee said she is surprised Francis refused to ordain women to the diaconate.

"It's a very sad day when a powerful man like a pope tells a young girl that she can't, or will never be equal in their own church and will never be able to follow their call from God" McElwee says.

Some have a vocation to become ordained deacons, she believes.

Further study

Although Francis is against ordaining women deacons, he wants the idea of women deacons of the non-ordained variety considered in a synodal way.

At present, the issue of women deacons has been assigned to one of 10 study groups examining controversial issues.

The groups will report at the October 2024 meeting of the Synod on Synodality, and again in July 2025.

Women must be heard

Women's participation in the life and mission of the Church faces significant challenges.

Canonical and institutional reform is needed and better representation in leadership roles should be possible, the Catholic Church in Ireland told the synodal assembly in Rome last October.

Ireland's newly completed summary report says while the people appreciate the growing recognition of women's valuable contributions to the Church, more is needed.

Denying women ordination to the priesthood and the permanent diaconate is an ongoing concern.

"That these ministries are not open to women is seen by some as limiting their opportunities for leadership and decision-making roles, perpetuating a model of co-responsibility that is not fully inclusive" the summary states.

While some women feel very empowered in the Church today and valued for the roles they hold, change is sought.

"It was clear in the contributions that if women's voices are not heard at higher levels, nothing will change" the report says.

Source

• The Tablet
• Religion News Service