“Until the Holy Father has a woman proclaiming the gospel in St Peter’s at a Mass he celebrates, the Church really doesn’t have the right to say women are to be recognised as equal and to be held as equally human to men” said Phyllis Zagano PhD, a Senior Research Associate in Residence at Hofstra Read more
Pope Francis seems to have changed his mind about female deacons. This week, in a CBS TV interview, he explained that ordaining women has never been on his agenda, but non-ordained female deacons could be. Female diaconate supported In February, one of Francis’ theological advisers, Sr Linda Pocher, said while the Church wasn’t considering women’s Read more
In an October 2023 interview, Cardinal Robert McElroy of San Diego and Cardinal Blase Cupich of Chicago said that the General Assembly of the Synod on Synodality raised the question of “reimaging” or “revisioning” the diaconate as a whole. It is precisely such a “revisioning” that many historians and theologians of the diaconate have been Read more
Pope Francis took a risk in inviting an Anglican woman bishop Bishop Jo Bailey Wells to address him and his advisory Council of Cardinals, Wells says. Nonetheless, she hopes the Catholic Church will continue to explore the topic of women’s leadership with “courage”. “I’m aware … that to many such an opportunity feels rare, if Read more
A Spanish theologian who advises Pope Francis revealed that while the issue of women’s ordination remains unexplored, the pontiff advocates for the female diaconate. Sr Linda Pocher, speaking to Europa Press, clarified that the Catholic Church is not considering women’s priestly ordination, yet the pope actively supports the idea of female deacons. Participating in the Read more
For Pope Francis, the first session of the Synod on Synodality was never about resolving the controversial issues facing the Church. Even so, there were those who hoped for forward motion on married priests, women deacons and LGBTQ issues. They will be disappointed by the final report issued by the synod. For Francis it was Read more
The “niche issue” issue of women priests and deacons distracts the Church from addressing what women really need, a theologian participating in the Synod on Synodality says. “As a woman, I’m not focused at all on the fact that I’m not a priest,” says Professor Renée Köhler-Ryan (pictured). Köhler-Ryan is the National Head of School Read more
Many women at a US Women of the Church conference have expressed pain, frustration and hurt by experiences of sexism in the Church. The Women of the Church conference was for Catholic women leaders. It took place recently. All was not bleak, as highlighted by Women of the Church keynote speaker, theology Professor Kristin Colberg Read more
Promoting better collaboration between women and men in the Catholic Church is not primarily about equality. It’s about allowing the church to fulfil the mission given to it by God, said women at an international conference on priesthood at the Vatican last week. Organized by Cardinal Marc Ouellet, the conference examined the theology of the Read more
Sexual abuse is rooted in abuse of power, which is very often the first step. While abuse of power can take many forms, many abusers rely on the excessive and, let’s say it, clericalist use of secrecy. For decades many Church bodies, including the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, have repeatedly called for Read more