The absence, confirmed to the National Catholic Reporter by multiple sources, triggered frustration among some delegates.

Fernandez absence sparks discontent

Fernandez was notably absent on 18 October during a scheduled forum for the working groups of the ongoing synod on synodality.

Under Fernandez's supervision, the focus of one of these groups is to explore women's ministries and access to the diaconate.

Fernandez cited a scheduling issue, not a lack of willingness, as the reason for his absence.

"I have learned of the displeasure expressed by some synod members with the fact that I was not present at this afternoon's meeting with working group number 5".

"This was not due to a lack of will, but to my objective inability to participate on the day and at the scheduled time."

Delegate frustration

Delegates expected to discuss one of the synod's most anticipated and contentious topics under his guidance.

Instead, the session was led by two junior staffers from the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith.

The National Catholic Reporter tells that one delegate, who requested anonymity citing synod communication rules, called the meeting a "disaster".

Another expressed disapproval, labelling the absence a "disgrace". Both spoke to the National Catholic Reporter on the condition of anonymity.

Fernandez' study group 5's key role

Study group 5, shrouded in secrecy, is tasked with examining "theological and canonical matters regarding specific ministerial forms", addressing in particular the potential restoration of female deacons.

During the opening day of the synod, Fernandez described the topic as an "open question" but advised against rushing any decisions.

Unlike other groups, the membership of Study Group 5 remains undisclosed.

This opacity has sparked questions among observers and participants, particularly in light of the group's central role in discussing the evolving role of women in the Church.

Ongoing work until 2025

The work of the synod's 10 study groups, which began on 2 October, is expected to continue until June 2025.

The synod, a multi-year initiative of Pope Francis, is addressing significant questions for the Church including authority, women and ministry in the Catholic Church.

Source

• The Pillar
• National Catholic Reporter

The Zoom meeting took place on July 16. Among the 18 or so groups represented was "Be the Change", New Zealand, as well as unaffiliated groups and individuals from Australia and New Zealand. Read more in NZCAtholic

Sr Luzia Premoli, superior general of the Combonian Missionary Sisters, was appointed a member of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples on September 13.

She told the Catholic News Agency that this took her by surprise.

"I did not expect it . . . but I was also joyful, because the appointment is a concretisation of Pope Francis's wish for more women in high ranking positions in the Catholic Church," Sr Premoli said.

The Brazilian native added that her appointment "shows Pope Francis's commitment" to having more women as decision-makers in the ranks of the Church.

While women have already served in the Vatican, as consultants or under-secretaries and members of pontifical councils, there had never been a woman appointed as a member of a congregation, the higher ranking departments of the Roman curia, the CNA article stated.

Sr Premoli spent eight years as a missionary in Mozambique, and another eight in her homeland.

As a missionary, she was impressed that "in the midst of tragedies, women always carried their children on their shoulders, and that children were quiet and calm, as though the mother's touch let them feel protected".

Motherhood is a contribution women can give to Church's life, Sr Premoli told CNA.

"The Church is called ‘mother', and a mother must bear the announcement of this full and joyful life Jesus has given us."

She underscored that "although the Church has given an organisation with almost exclusively men in the top ranks, the communities are full of women that give their personal contribution to the life of the Church".

The biggest contribution women can give to Church's life is "the way women gaze at things, and their being heartfelt".

"Women have this peculiar passion, which probably comes from their being capable of maternity," Sr Premoli explained.

Her missionary experience also showed a sharp contrast between throwaway cultures of plenty and poorer societies where even small scraps of cloth or soap are considered valuable.

Among the other appointees to the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples on September 13 was Cardinal George Pell, prefect of the Vatican's Secretariat for the Economy.

Sources

• Catholic News Agency
• Vatican News
• Image: Comboni Missionaries

The wide-ranging interview, marking the first anniversary of Francis's pontificate, was published in Italy and Argentina.

Pope Francis praised Pope Paul VI's 1968 encyclical "Humanae Vitae", which prohibited the use of contraception.

He said Pope Paul's "genius was prophetic".

But he also noted that Pope Paul had instructed confessors to interpret his encyclical with "much mercy, attention to concrete situations".

"The question is not whether to change the doctrine, but to go deeper and make sure that pastoral care takes account of situations and of what each person is able to do," Pope Francis said.

The Pope said birth control, like the predicament of divorced and civilly remarried Catholics, would be a topic of discussion at the Vatican in October at an extraordinary Synod of Bishops on the family.

Francis says the family is going through a "very serious crisis".

He also suggested the Church could tolerate some types of non-marital civil unions as a practical measure to guarantee property rights and health care.

But when asked about same-sex marriage, the Pope said marriage is between a man and a woman.

Pope Francis said cases of sex abuse by priests had left "very profound wounds".

But starting with the pontificate of Pope Benedict XVI, the Church has done "perhaps more than anyone" to solve the problem, the Pope added.

"No one else has done more. Yet the Church is the only one to have been attacked," he said.

Asked how the role of women will be better promoted in the Church, he was not specific but said: "It is true that women can and ought to be more present in the places where the Church's decisions are made.

"This, however, I would call a promotion of a ‘functional' type. Only, in this way, we do not get very far."

The Pope also rejected a mythology that depicts him as a superman.

The Pope said he is a normal person.

Sources

• Catholic News Service
• National Catholic Reporter
• The Tablet
• Image: The Sacred Page

The mainstream churches are hemorrhaging committed, gifted, passionate, knowledgeable, prayerful, spiritual seekers.

Women who have given twenty, thirty, forty, fifty years in the service of their spiritual or parochial communities.

Women who may still be actively involved in ministry but who are struggling with identity, relevancy and meaning. Women who dwell on the fringes - burnt out, frustrated, bewildered by change.

Or, women who have simply and quietly drifted away searching for a place of belonging.

Partly, I think the exodus reflects a growing intolerance for bureaucracy: the need to control and oragnise; the need for licences and mandates and membership fees and subscription lists.

There is a delicious freedom, a real connectedness to the essence of LOVE and the breath of the spirit, in allowing groups and rituals to arise organically from seeds sown; to allow these to flourish and nourish the lives of those who encounter them; and then to allow them to wither and die until the next season.

You also get to an age where exclusive language becomes offensive. In the first half of life, we can rationalise the use of exclusive, male-oriented language; ignore it or become too busy to even notice it, but sometimes, there comes a moment when it is no longer acceptable.

But more, I think the exodus reflects a shift in how mature women view themselves in relation to God. We are seeking intimacy; to be known deeply and sensually by God. We are more content to hold and honour the question - we no longer want definitive, unsatisfying, shallow or rote answers. We want to encounter and recognise the divine, as Mary Magdalene did when the risen Lord whispered her name. We long for authenticity: to be given space to become who we truly are.

Many older women are seeking a more collaborative, non-confrontational, inclusive, gentle approach to life and community. There is a definite move to more loosely-gathered, organic, cyclical groups which honour and respect the people who gather; which treat those gathered as adults; and which do not impose unnecessary obligations. Increasingly, there is a desire amongst us to share the wisdom and fruits of lives lived in the search of, and companionship of a loving, compassionate God, without the fear of constraint or complaint.

I, along with many women of my generation, desire new ways, fresh ways, to be daughters of God, sisters of Christ.

Perhaps the large, institutional churches need to loosen their vice-like grip on "religion" and "ritual" and "spirituality" and "God". Perhaps these institutions need to recognise and nurture new ways of being church, of being a people of God.

Perhaps they need to embrace change before the new wine bursts the old wineskins.

Perhaps they need to recognise and honour the hundreds of unofficial, informal, organic gatherings where God is present in many guises:

• women gathered knitting blankets for orphans;
• women gathered in shared silence;
• women gathered planting native seedlings along waterways;
• women meeting and supporting each other as they seek meaningful and relevant employment;
• women gathering, recognising the divine in diversity and variety.

Source

• Liz Pearce, mother of 3 adult children, loves story, dollmaking, writing and silence.

This is unlike say, the Greek Orthodox Church, whose clock has been well and truly fixed on Old Testament time but whose saving grace has been the sense of humour of its congregation. Read more

Sources

• Mary Kostakidis in The Sydney Morning Herald
• Image: The Australian Women's Weekly

Mary Kostakidis is a TV presenter who has a long standing interest in social justice.