Pope Francis’ recent interview that seemed to close the door to women deacons isn’t the final word on the topic says Sr Laura Vicuña Pereira Manso. She refers to the pope’s interview for a CBS “60 Minutes” show in May. In it Francis said he was opposed to women deacons if it involves the sacrament 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
A new expert commission has been appointed to examine the possibility of women deacons. Pope Francis approved the 10-member commission, which is the second one he has appointed during his pontificate. The commission members include equal numbers of men and women representing the United States and six European countries. Deacons are ordained ministers who can Read more
The Roman Catholic church should reconsider if it thinks the priest shortage can be solved by letting priests marry. It hasn’t solved the problem in the Ukranian Greek Catholic Rite which allows priests to be married, says Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk. Shevchuk is the Major Archbishop of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. He was responding to Read more
The Church must look for new ways to make people feel welcome, say the special secretaries of next month’s synod on the Amazon. Cardinal-designate Michael Czerny and Bishop David Martinez De Aguirre Guinea say the synod’s focus, “Amazonia: New paths for the church and for an integral ecology,” will help the church make its presence Read more
A long-serving missionary bishop of the Amazon River delta says the Instrumentum laboris for October’s synod on the Amazon misses the problems faced by the Church in the region. “What is the Amazonian face? Can a synod next October of this magnitude be built with a presentation so far from reality, from identity, from respect Read more