Two recent events frame the many discussions within the Church reform movement, while many of its constituent groups continue to engage with the international Synod on Synodality. Pope Francis suddenly announced in a major interview with an American television network that ordaining women deacons, a long-held aspiration of the movement for women’s equality in the Read more
In response to Pope Francis’s call, 15-20 theologians from around the world gathered in Rome to prepare for the next stage of the Synod on Synodality. The meeting is taking place from 4 to 13 June at the General Curia of the Jesuits, near the Vatican. The theologians, including theology, ecclesiology, and canon law experts, Read more
Dominican priest and theologian Timothy Radcliffe OP has urged the Church to develop new ministries, particularly for women, as a key focus for the upcoming Synod on Synodality. Lay people and “women in particular must be given a more active role in the life of the church” Radcliffe said in an interview with Ordo Praedicatorum. 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
Nearly 300 parish priests from around the world recently concluded a multi-day meeting near Rome where they discussed how to bring the Vatican’s message of synodality to their local communities. The gathering, which included an audience with Pope Francis, focused on fostering open dialogue and empowering individuals to take responsibility for their parishes and communities. Read more
A world meeting of parish priests will later this month prepare for this year’s Synod on Synodality. The priests at the April 29–May 2 Rome-based meeting will reflect on the theme “How to Be a Synodal Local Church in Mission”. The invitation The synod’s General Secretariat has invited several parish priests to attend the second Read more
There is much to ponder in the synod synthesis report, “A Synodal Church in Mission.” As I talked with my sister about the proposals, I expressed a desire to gather with women who were not in my close circle to hear their perspectives. She immediately thought of some of her friends and women in her Read more
After raising expectations with his Synod on Synodality, Pope Francis is punting on a number of controversial issues that the synod process invited lay Catholics to raise. When the next session of the synod meets this October, the topics of married priests and same-sex blessings will be off the table. The possibility of women deacons Read more
It is late summer here we’re picking apples and bottling peaches, watering kawakawa so the leaves float and don’t droop, and harvesting lemon verbena. We’re flicking mosquitoes at dusk so they won’t bite and listening to noisy cicadas and hearty piwakawaka and spotting a ripening fig before a blackbird pecks at it. The Synod on Read more
The Vatican has postponed discussions on contentious doctrinal, ethical and pastoral issues until June 2025. It has redirected the focus of the upcoming synod towards synodality itself. The decision comes amidst growing anticipation about key matters such as women’s access to the diaconate and LGBTQ+ inclusion within the Church. Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich clarified that the Read more