Pope Francis has said he is not considering appointing women to leadership positions in the Vatican bureaucracy just for the sake of it. During a visit to Turin, the Pope said in a speech he didn’t want to promote a “functionalism” of women’s roles in the Church. “The woman in the Church has the same Read more
Posts Tagged ‘Women’
Bougainville elects first woman MP in open seat
Tuesday, June 9th, 2015
Josephine Getsi, in Peit constituency, has become the first woman to win an open seat since Bougainville first held elections under its autonomy arrangements ten years ago. Getsi says her success is an important symbol for all Bougainvillean women. She was competing against 11 men and did particularly well through the second preference votes re-allocated Read more
Tonga: Church says referendum on CEDAW unlikely
Tuesday, June 2nd, 2015
The Catholic Church believes it is unlikely there will be a referendum on whether Tonga should ratify the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). In an interview on Radio Australia Father Seluini Akauola said opposition to ratifying CEDAW is very strong. Akauola said the suggestion that there should Read more
US bishop tells Catholics to abstain from yoga
Tuesday, May 26th, 2015A retired US bishop has advised Catholics to abstain from doing yoga, as it could be an occasion of serious sin. Comments from Bishop Fabian Bruskewitz, who used to lead the diocese of Lincoln, Nebraska, were published last week on a US blog for women. “ … The practice of yoga, if it does not begin Read more
Study finds oral contraceptives may thin parts of brain
Tuesday, May 19th, 2015A new study from the University of California Los Angeles suggests that the birth control pill may thin areas in a woman’s brain. The results of study involving 90 women were published in April in the journal “Human Brain Mapping”. About half the women in the study were using the combination form of oral contraceptives Read more
Women’s Church roles questioned at Rome conference
Friday, May 1st, 2015
A conference in Rome has seen searching questions posed about unnecessary restrictions on women in the Catholic Church. The Pontifical “Antonianum” University and four embassies to the Holy See sponsored the conference held on Tuesday. It came after Pope Francis’s invitation to seek a “more widespread and incisive female presence” in the Church. According to Read more
Catholic reformers ask bishops to really back Pope Francis
Tuesday, April 21st, 2015
Catholic reformists and Ireland’s Association of Catholic priests have called on bishops to be more pro-active in support of Pope Francis. In a statement issued after a meeting in Limerick in Ireland, bishops were called on to “courageously and publicly” support the vision and programme of Pope Francis. “A key issue will be to devolve Read more
Catholic reformist leaders to gather in Ireland
Friday, April 10th, 2015
Catholic reform leaders from around the world will meet next week in Ireland for a conference organised by a censured Redemptorist. The International Network of Church Reform Movements conference, organised by Fr Tony Flannery, is expected to attract 40 representatives. Fr Flannery said the topics expected to be discussed include the “reform agenda of Pope Read more
Novel Vatican conversation on women’s experiences of church
Friday, March 13th, 2015In a possible first, a public conversation has been held at the centre of the Church’s hierarchy on the limits of women’s participation in Church structures. An event called Voices of Faith, held to mark International Women’s Day last week, was put together as an opportunity for women to share their stories of faith. The Read more
The Blogosphere as mission field for Catholic women
Friday, February 27th, 2015
As a Catholic author, speaker, and blogger working from my suburban home, I often marvel at the unique vantage point I have to share my voice in service to the Church I love. My laptop, a strong wifi connection, and a patient husband combine to enable me to engage in serving my Church between loads Read more