The Vatican’s semi-official newspaper has started a women’s magazine, which is not averse to taking a critical stance over women’s role in the Church. The new monthly magazine “Women-Church-World” was launched this week by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Holy See’s secretary of state. His department oversees L’Osservatore Romano, in which the new magazine has previously Read more
Groups of Catholic women walked out of Masses in two Polish cities to protest at a proposed tightening of the nation’s abortion laws. They walked out of churches in Warsaw and Gdansk. At the Warsaw church of St Anna, the women shouted “scandal” as a priest read out a letter from Poland’s bishops in favour Read more
An Irish nun is seeking an apology from the Catholic Church for its treatment of women. Sr Eileen Lenihan’s call came in Limerick at the first diocesan synod to be held in Ireland in 50 years. Sr Lenihan said: “The apology that is being called for, perhaps it needs to come from the Church, radically Read more
They are consulting with local clergy, taking online vocation surveys, signing up for “come and see” weekends, moving into convents and monasteries for yearlong immersion experiences, and professing solemn vows. They are professionally seasoned or just starting out; unmarried, widowed and divorced; ethnically and culturally diverse. All over the country, women currently discerning a call Read more
During her time in Hebron, Palestine, Cory Lockhart carried alcohol pads in her pockets to counter the effects of tear gas and tried to make sure that Israeli soldiers saw that she, a Westerner, witnessed their actions. As a member of a Christian Peacemaker Team, Lockhart lived and witnessed in six-week stints with the Palestinian Read more
Twelve priests in Ireland have issued a statement calling for an open discussion on equality for women in the Church, including in ministry. “Discriminating against women encourages and reinforces abuse and violence against women in many cultures and societies,” they said. Some of the 12 have been prominent members of the reformist Association of Catholic Priests in Read more
Suspended Irish Redemptorist Fr Tony Flannery wants a synod of the Irish church, but says the Irish hierarchy hasn’t wanted to know. Writing on his blog after the synod on the family in Rome, Fr Flannery noted that Pope Francis sees the synodal process as the pattern for the whole church. Fr Flannery quipped that Read more
A US religious sister at the synod on the family has spoken of her difficulties within one of the small group discussions. Sacred Heart of Mary Sister Maureen Kelleher told the National Catholic Reporter that the ordained men at the synod have a distinct culture and a common background. Sr Kelleher is an auditor at Read more
The publisher of an Asian Catholic news website has called for the Church to play a role in reducing the Earth’s human population. In an opinion piece posted on ucanews.com, Fr William Grimm noted that Pope Francis’s recent encyclical Laudato Si’ dismissed concerns about overpopulation as a major source of the ecological crisis. Fr Grimm Read more
Just because we don’t talk about it, doesn’t mean that abortion isn’t something that affects Christian women. One in three women will have an abortion by the time they are 45 according to national statistics. That means that there are inevitably women in church who will have had an abortion – and it isn’t just Read more