The quiet revolution in women’s roles in the Church

Excerpt: 

Whilst Pope Francis’ summation is hopeful, and puts to bed the false reports that the issue of women deacons is a dead one, still, the apparent blocking and deferring that has been done by Rome on this issue, is disheartening and disappointing for many. Also, we already know that there were deacons in the early Church, and that up until the early middle-ages there were women deacons who were also ordained by bishops.

Director of American progressive Catholic organisation FutureChurch, Russ Petrus has observed:

‘By taking women’s ordination off the Synodal table and relegating discussion to secretive working groups or commissions and promising more information ‘when the time is right,’ Pope Francis has thwarted the promise and potential of Synodality… women who simply want to serve God’s people continue to be the ones bearing the pain caused by these obstructions.’

Olivia Hastie, Program Associate for FutureChurch also noted:

‘Vatican officials keep insisting that they don’t want to ‘clericalise’ women …But.. by ignoring their vocations, the Church is disregarding their lived experience of faith and effectively undermining the work of the Holy Spirit, who is supposed to be the protagonist of the Synod.’