Catholic reform debate launched by Pope Francis leans away from ordained roles for women
Pope Francis' big Catholic reform project has opened with widespread calls for women to take up more positions of responsibility in the church topping the agenda
ROME (AP) — Debate was leaning away from allowing women to take on ordained roles in the Catholic Church as the second phase of Pope Francis’ reform project opened Wednesday with an agenda topped by calls for women to take up more positions of responsibility
Francis presided over an opening Mass in St. Peter’s Square with the 368 bishops and laypeople who will meet behind closed doors for the next three weeks to discuss the future of the church and how to make it more responsive to the needs of Catholics today. Nearby, advocates for women's ordination staged a flash mob under the motto: “Don’t Kick the Can, Women Can Be Priests.”
Several of the most contentious issues are officially off the table, after they encountered resistance and objections during the first session of the synod, or meeting, last year. They include ministering to LGBTQ+ Catholics and ordaining women to serve as deacons.
Francis entrusted these topics to 10 study groups that are working in parallel to the synod and offered updates on their work in the opening session Wednesday night.
