Joshua McElwee
Sat, October 26, 2024
VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - A major Vatican summit of global Catholic leaders ended on Saturday with a call for women to be granted more leadership roles in the Church but stopped short of calling for women to be ordained as clergy.
The gathering, which included cardinals, bishops and lay people from more than 110 countries, also did not take a stand on inclusion of the LGBTQ community, despite discussion that it might call on the Church to be more welcoming.
Pope Francis called the month-long summit, known as a Synod of Bishops, to consider the future of the worldwide Church. It was the second of two gatherings, held a year apart, and featured closed-door discussions among 368 "members" with voting rights, including nearly 60 women.
Advocates for greater roles for women in the Church had hoped the synod might call for women to serve as deacons. In its final text, the synod did not move forward on that possibility, but said "there is no reason or impediment that should prevent women from carrying out leadership roles in the Church".
The question of women deacons, the document said, "remains open" and "discernment needs to continue".
The Catholic Church has an all-male clergy and Pope John Paul II declared it had no authority to ordain women as priests. But church historians say there is evidence that in earlier centuries women served as deacons - ordained ministers who, unlike priests, cannot celebrate the Mass.
Francis, 87, has previously created two Vatican commissions to consider ordaining women as deacons. The issue is one of 10 subjects in the synod's discussions that he has assigned for further study to groups that are to report to him by next June.
The synod's final document, a 52-page text approved by the assembly late Saturday afternoon, also called for lay Catholics to be given a greater voice in the selection of bishops, and apologised several times for the "untold and ongoing" pain suffered by Catholics who were abused by clergy.
The text's 155 paragraphs each required a two-thirds vote for approval. The paragraph on women deacons received the most no votes, 258-97, but still passed.
NO MENTION OF LGBTQ CATHOLICS
The text did not mention the LGBTQ community, though it made a veiled reference to people in the Church who "experience the pain of feeling excluded or judged because of their marital situation, identity or sexuality".
Treatment of LGBTQ Catholics had been a hot point of debate in the 2023 synod, with reports that some members offered emotional personal testimonies in the assembly about family members who feel excluded from the Church.
Rev James Martin, a prominent American Jesuit priest who ministers to the LGBTQ community and was a synod member, said it was "not a surprise" the new text did not specifically mention the group.
"We talk about the pain of those who feel excluded," he said of the final text. "The dialogue around LGBTQ issues was much easier this year".
Francis had been expected to issue his own document responding to the synod text, but he told the assembly he was no longer planning to do so. The pope said he instead wanted to offer the synod's text as a "gift" to the world's 1.4 billion Catholics.
The pope is due to formally close the synod gathering with a Mass on Sunday in St. Peter's Basilica.
(Reporting by Joshua McElwee; Editing by David Holmes)
Pope closes Synod but questions over women's role in the church remain
Euronews
Sun, October 27, 2024
Pope closes Synod but questions over women's role in the church remain
Pope Francis concluded the Synod of Bishops on Sunday, leaving the role of women in the Church unresolved. The final document offered no steps toward greater equity, with issues such as female deacons, married priests, and LGBTQIA+ discussions notably excluded.
Despite the omissions, the document reflects the Pope’s aim for a Church that listens attentively to its faithful. In a surprising move, however, Pope Francis chose not to publish the full document, leaving the matter of women’s role open-ended and fostering speculation on the Church’s stance on gender inclusivity.
Reforms on Women’s roles stalled
Deacons, who perform duties similar to priests such as baptisms, weddings, and funerals (but cannot lead Mass), have traditionally been men.
Advocates for change argue that allowing women to join the diaconate would help address the global priest shortage. Opponents worry that such a step might lead to women entering the all-male priesthood, something Pope Francis has said he does not support.
Conlusione dei lavori sinodali, Città del Vaticano, 26 ottobre 2024 - Gregorio Borgia/Copyright 2024 The AP. All rights reserved
“The time is not ripe,” Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernandez, the Vatican’s top doctrinal official, said earlier this week in his address to the extraordinary assembly of 368 bishops and lay participants, including women.
Yet the ambiguity surrounding what constitutes ‘maturity’ for expanded roles of women in the Church administration remains.
Women not 'second class believers'
The synod had raised hopes for reform, particularly among women who feel relegated to a marginal role within the Church. Many feel their contributions are undervalued, and they are treated as “second-class” believers.
“We hear so many promises, yet see little meaningful progress,” said Patrizia Morgante, president of the Women for the Church Association. “I’m tired of hearing that women are the ‘heart’ of the Church. These are empty consolations we don’t need.”
Voicing her frustration with the Church’s lack of decisive action, Morgante said: “We want to be respected as individuals, not as functions. We want to discuss our experiences and have genuine dialogue in an equal relationship with men, whether consecrated or lay,” she added.
The Pope has shown openness to greater roles for women – but there’s pressure for him to go further
Christopher Lamb and Antonia Mortensen, CNN
Sun, October 27, 2024 at 10:41 a.m. MDT·4 min read
A sense of urgency has been growing after the role of women emerged as a dominant theme when Catholics from across the globe were canvassed for their views ahead of a meeting of bishops and lay people – a synod – which formally concluded Sunday.
The final Synod assembly document, approved by Pope Francis, said women must be given all the opportunities that church law provides to act as leaders, but left the possibility of ordaining women as deacons as an “open” question which needs further reflection.
Frustrations about the slow pace of reform bubbled into the open during the assembly when the pope’s doctrine adviser ruled out ordaining women as deacons and then failed to turn up to a meeting on the topic. He later apologized and held a 90-minute meeting with members of the assembly.
Some are unimpressed by what they see as the Vatican kicking the topic of deacons into the long grass.
Phyllis Zagano, a research professor at Hofstra University in New York and expert on female deacons, said that “there is abundant evidence of the sacramental ordinations of women as deacons in the Church, East and West, to the 12th century” and that “eventually a decision must be made.”
Francis has also faced criticism recently for expressing what one Belgian Catholic university denounced as “reductive” views on the role of women in the church. In an interview earlier this year, he ruled out the possibility of ordaining women deacons, who can carry out functions like a priest apart from saying Mass and hearing confessions.
The problem in the church is exacerbated given women make up a majority of churchgoers while an all-male hierarchy controls decision making. Furthermore, Catholic teaching bars women from ordination to the priesthood, a decision that Francis has maintained, although he has allowed studies of female deacons.
During previous papacies the question of ordaining women was not even up for discussion. The big difference now is that the 87-year-old Argentinian pontiff has shown he is willing to listen carefully to the voices of Catholics.
In a significant move, Francis, for the first time, said he would not issue a teaching document following the Vatican synod recommendations and approved their decisions, giving them added authority. “It’s a revolution that no one notices,” one cardinal told CNN afterwards about the pope’s move.
Pope Francis attends the second session of the 16th General Assembly of the Synod at the Vatican on Saturday. - Gregorio Borgia/AP
During his pontificate, Francis has also been trying to make cracks in the Vatican’s glass ceiling. He has chosen women to senior positions in the church’s central administration, including a religious sister to help run the synod and the first women members to sit on the board of a powerful Vatican department that decides on bishop appointments.
For the first time, women were also included as voting members, with 54 female voters among more around 360 delegates. One of those was Julia Oseka, 23, who is studying theology and physics at St Joseph’s University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and is the youngest woman ever to be a voting member of a Vatican synod.
“There’s definitely an urgent need to not only realize and accept that women have an equal baptismal dignity to men in the Catholic Church, but also to take action,” she told CNN.
Oseka added that while she sometimes felt “frustrated” about the “slow pace” of decisions, some parts of the church “struggle” when it comes to the inclusion of women, and it was important to maintain unity.
Francis’ approach is also informed by the resistance to any reform to women’s roles: The declaration from the Vatican assembly on women received 97 “no” votes, the most of any section in the final document.
“There is resistance because there is still fear of this co-responsibility in the Catholic Church. But the participation and the role of the women is really a key issue,” Helena Jeppesen-Spuhler, a church worker from Switzerland and voting delegate, told CNN.
She said the pope had recognized that the question of female deacons cannot be “closed” and that it was important for the Catholic Church to send a message to the world where there is rising discrimination and violence against women. “If we don’t take a strong stand, it’s contradicting our own message,” she said.
For some, the pope and church leaders are not going far enough. “Women are looking for concrete changes and reforms that urgently recognize their equality,” Kate McElwee, the executive director of Women’s Ordination Worldwide, told CNN. “How much longer must women wait?”
Nevertheless, for a church which thinks in centuries what may seem like small steps to those on the outside are major leaps forward for many inside.
Pope Francis' Catholic church reform process ends without giving more equity to women
Sat, October 26, 2024
The Associated Press
VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis' yearslong process to reform the Catholic Church closed Saturday with recommendations that fell short of giving women more equity as hoped, but reflected the pope’s aims for a church that at least listens more to its followers.
In a significant move, the pope said he would not issue a teaching document from the recommendations, which called for women to be allowed all opportunities that Church law already provides while leaving open the contentious question of permitting women to be ordained as deacons.
As a result, it remains unclear what if any authority or impact the synod’s final recommendations will have, given the purpose of the exercise was to provide the pope with specific proposals on reform.
“In this time of war, we must be witnesses to peace” and give an example of living with differences, the pope said in explaining his decision.
Francis said he would continue to listen to the bishops' counsel, adding “this is not a classic way of endlessly delaying decisions."
Deacons perform many of the same functions as priests, such as presiding over baptisms, weddings and funerals, but they cannot celebrate Mass. Advocates say allowing women to be deacons would help offset the shortage of priests. Opponents say it would signal the start of a slippery slope toward ordaining women to the all-male priesthood that Francis has repeatedly reaffirmed.
Earlier this week, the Vatican's top doctrinal officer, Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernandez, told the extraordinary assembly of 368 bishops and laypeople — including women — that Francis had said the moment “is not ripe” for allowing ordination of women as deacons. He did not respond directly to a request to define what would determine “ripeness” for a greater role for women.
The multi-year synod process had sparked great hopes for change, especially for women, who have long complained that they are treated as second-class citizens in the church. Women are barred from the church's highest ministerial positions, yet do the lion’s share of the work running Catholic hospitals and schools and passing the faith onto future generations.
Speaking to the synod on Thursday, Fernandez explained that a special working group would continue beyond the closing of the meeting, but that its focus would be on discussing the role of women in the church — not in the diaconate, or the office of deacon. He added that while working with women in previous pastoral roles, “most did not ask for or want the diaconate, which would be cumbersome for their lay work.”
The meeting asked for “full implementation of all the opportunities already provided for in Canon Law with regard to the role of women, particularly in those places where they remain under-explored.” It leaves open “the question of women's access to diaconal ministry.”
It was the most contested paragraph of the final document, with 258 votes for and 97 against. It was not clear if the “no” votes were because the language went too far or not far enough.
Phyllis Zagano, a leading scholar on women deacons, said the "no” votes could indicate it is time for a decision to be made.
The outcome is a disappointment for Catholics who have been campaigning for recognition that women share a spiritual calling that is no different than a man’s. They also noted that despite the inclusion of women in the synodal process, the working group that is guiding discussions on women’s role is being run by the Roman curia, operating outside the synod.
“I think the final document will be received with much disappointment and frustration by many women around the world who are hoping for concrete changes,'' said Kate McElwee, the executive director of the Women’s Ordination Conference.
While she acknowledged a “cultural shift,” she said "the pace of that shift is perhaps too slow for many women.”
Gay rights activists also expressed disappointment, noting the failure to include LGBTQ+ issues in the final documents. “The laity of the church must now become louder and more vigorous than ever in advocating for reform,'' said Francis DeBernardo, executive director of New Ways Ministry.
The first phase of the synod process ended last year by concluding it was “urgent” to guarantee fuller participation by women in church governance positions, and calling for theological and pastoral research to continue about allowing women to be deacons.
If before the synod the idea of allowing women to be deacons was a fringe proposal pushed by Western progressives, the idea gained attention during the debate. It became something of a litmus test of how far the church was going to go, or not, to address demands of women for greater equality and representation in the church's highest ranks.
Francis, had other ideas, insisting that ordaining women would just “clericalize” them and that there were plenty of other ways to empower women in the church, even leading Catholic communities, without resorting to ordination.
The Associated Press
Catholic church reform process expected to disappoint hopes of more equity for women
Sat, October 26, 2024
VATICAN CITY (AP) — A yearslong process to reform the Catholic Church closes Saturday with recommendations that are expected to fall far short of hopes that women would be given more equity but that reflect the pope’s aims for a church that at least listens more to its flock.
The Vatican’s top doctrinal officer, Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernandez, told the extraordinary assembly of bishops and laypeople this week that Pope Francis said the moment for allowing ordination of women as deacons in the church “is not ripe.”
The multi-year synod process had sparked great hopes for change, especially for women, who have long complained that they are treated as second-class citizens in the church. Women are barred from the priesthood and the highest ministerial positions in the Catholic Church, yet do the lion’s share of the work running Catholic hospitals and schools and passing the faith onto future generations.
Speaking to the synod on Thursday, Fernandez explained that a special working group would continue beyond the closing of the meeting, but that its focus would be on discussing the role of women in the church — not in the diaconate. He added that while working with women in previous pastoral roles, “most did not ask for or want the diaconate, which would be cumbersome for their lay work.”
He did not respond directly to a request to define what would determine “ripeness” for a greater role for women.
The outcome is shaping up to be a disappointment for Catholics who have been campaigning for recognition that women share a spiritual calling that is no different than a man’s. They also noted that despite the inclusion of women in the synodal process, the working group that is guiding discussions on women’s role is being run by the Roman curia, operating outside the synod.
“I think it is very clear that ordained men get to decide when the time is right, and they get to decide what baptismal equality amounts to. It is very frustrating, but they laid it all out,’’ said Kate McElwee, the executive director of the Women’s Ordination Conference.
The first phase of the synod process ended last year by concluding it was “urgent” to guarantee fuller participation by women in church governance positions, and calling for theological and pastoral research to continue about allowing women to be deacons.
Deacons perform many of the same functions as priests, such as presiding over baptisms, weddings and funerals, but they cannot celebrate Mass.
If before the synod the idea of allowing women to be deacons was a fringe proposal pushed by Western progressives, the idea gained attention during the debate. It became something of a litmus test of how far the church was going to go, or not, to address demands of women for greater equality and representation in the highest ranks of the church.
Francis, though, had other ideas, insisting that ordaining women would just “clericalize” them and that there were plenty of other ways to empower women in the church, even leading Catholic communities, without resorting to ordination.
Advocates say allowing women to be deacons would help offset the shortage of Catholic priests and address longstanding complaints about their second-class status.
Opponents say ordaining women to the deaconate would signal the start of a slippery slope toward ordaining women to the priesthood. The Catholic Church reserves the priesthood for men.
Francis has repeatedly reaffirmed the all-male priesthood and has sharply criticized “obtuse” agitators pressing for a female diaconate.
The Associated Press
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