The Vatican group studying the question of women’s ministry announced that consultations, including the potential for female ordination to the diaconate, will be expanded to include more voices. The move comes amid growing debate within the Synod on Synodality. Members are pushing for further discussion and clarity on the controversial issue. At the heart of Read more
Theologian Tina Beattie has expressed frustration over the Vatican’s ongoing postponements regarding women’s roles in the Catholic Church, describing the situation as “platitudinous waffle”. Beattie criticised the lack of progress in an article published on Thursday by Sacred Heart University in the US. Beattie’s comments follow the release of a new working paper by the Read more
The Vatican has released a 50-page working document urging Roman Catholic bishops to engage in discussions regarding LGBTQ+ inclusion and the role of women within the church. The document, called Instrumentum Laboris (Latin for “working document”), is based on the input gathered from a two-year worldwide global synod, where Catholics were invited to share their Read more
A German Catholic diocese has commissioned 17 women to perform baptisms, citing a shortfall in the number of priests. In Germany’s industrial Ruhr area, the Diocese of Essen is the first diocese in the country to appoint a group of women to administer the sacrament, reported CAN Deutsch. Church law stipulates that only an ordained Read more
The Pope has appointed a woman as an undersecretary to the Synod of Bishops for the first time. Xaviere Missionary Sister Nathalie Becquart, from France, will have voting rights in the body, which advises the pontiff. The Synod debates some of the most controversial issues in the Roman Catholic Church. Sister Becquart will not be Read more
Former Irish president Mary McAleese had straight words to say at a conference in Trinity College Dublin on Saturday afternoon. Under the title “The Women The Vatican Couldn’t Silence,” she spoke of asylum seekers, the role of women in the church and cowardly bishops. Beginning with the issue of asylum seekers, but without specifically referring Read more
Cardinal Reinhard Marx says the Catholic Church in Germany is embarking on a “binding synodal process” to tackle three key issues that arose from the clerical abuse crisis. These include priestly celibacy, the Church’s teaching on sexual morality and a reduction of clerical power. Marx, who is the president of the German bishops’ conference, says Read more
A women’s group aimed at promoting equal rights within the Church and more leadership roles for female Catholics has launched a new campaign. The Overcoming the Silence campaign encourages women to be more assertive in making their voices heard. The Church must elevate women to leadership positions if it is to restore trust following sexual Read more