The question of the theology of ordination to the priesthood just isn't going to go away.

First, in a meeting with Italian priests in Rome in February, the Pope, they tell us, said that he is going to put the topic of the ordination of married men "into his diary."

Meaning on his list of subjects to be — what? Addressed? Discussed? Opened to consideration? Promised? The possibilities are tantalising.

In countries where some Catholic communities never see a priest more than once a year, the implications of a new and developing clergy — a married clergy as well as a celibate clergy — conjure up images of a church choosing to be vital and viable again.

In the United States itself, as well as in far off rural outposts, parishes are closing at a great rate.

In fact, the very superstructure of the church of the '50s — its community-building impact, its services and ministries, its vibrant witness — is dimming.

People drive miles to go to Mass now or don't go at all.

They volunteer in civic agencies now rather than in parish ministries because there are few or no church projects impactful enough to demand their commitment.

Instead, the church, where there is one, has become a private devotion.

But if Pope Francis takes the question of married men seriously, that could, for a change, lead to real change.

The annual number of candidates for the priesthood might actually rise, for instance. The number of priestless parishes might be reduced.

The Church's ministry to families, itself embodied in a model of family life, might become more credible.

Sex would become both a male and a female thing rather than a prescription for the control of women.

And, oh yes, the place and role of women in the church might very well change, too, once women began to be seen as integral to the parish and its activities. Continue reading

• Benedictine Sr Joan Chittister is a best-selling author and international lecturer on topics of justice, peace, human rights, women's issues and contemporary spirituality in the Church and in society.

"Discriminating against women encourages and reinforces abuse and violence against women in many cultures and societies," they said.

Some of the 12 have been prominent members of the reformist Association of Catholic Priests in Ireland.

Among them is Redemptorist Fr Tony Flannery, who was suspended from public ministry by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in 2012.

"We believe that we can no longer remain silent because to do so colludes with the systemic oppression of women within the Catholic Church," the priests stated.

"So, in the spirit of Pope Francis constant encouragement of dialogue, we are calling for free and open discussion concerning the full equality of women in all facets of church life, including all forms of ministry," they stated.

The priests note the equality of all Christians in Baptism.

They also reference recent papal statements, including those by Pope Francis on the topic, where he referenced St John Paul II and stated no further discussion is possible.

The priests stated that this situation is very damaging.

In September, Fr Flannery was banned from speaking at a parish in Cloyne diocese after intervention by a bishop.

Now the pastor of that parish has said that the bishop's actions came after a self-appointed vigilante group of conservative Catholics complained.

In the US, Benedictine feminist Sr Joan Chittister said women are leaving the Catholic Church in droves.

In a recent open letter to Pope Francis, Sr Chittister wrote that women "are ignored — rejected — as full human beings, as genuine disciples, by their churches, including our own".

Sources

• Irish Times
• Irish Times
• MPR News
• Association of Catholic Priests
• Image: Irish Examiner

Chittister uniquely combines strong advocacy—especially on behalf of women in both church and society—with a contemplative spirituality rooted in the Benedictine tradition. One of her recent projects is "Monasteries of the Heart," a web-based movement that shares Benedictine spirituality with contemporary seekers. Meanwhile, the Joan Chittister Fund for Prisoners distributes free spirituality materials in 90 prisons.

"There is no such thing as having only one life to live," Chittister insists. "The fact is that every life is simply a series of lives, each one of them with its own task [and] . . . its own plethora of possibilities." And for our later period of life, she invites us to discover new ways in which we can live out our responsibility "to give the world back to God a bit better than it was because we were here."

Aging, Chittister says, is not enough in itself. "Aging well is the real goal of life."

What led you to write about what you call "growing older gracefully"?

I was actually in my early 40s at the most when I first decided that, someday before I died, I wanted to write a spirituality of aging. I was a social psychologist, and I watched the older sisters in the community and noticed there was something really different about them. Everybody took it for granted that it was because they were older or holier or quieter, or that they had been formed in another period. But that wasn't it.

I watched them and studied them with a lot of interest. It was always an unfinished work in the back of my head. Continue reading

Sources

• U.S.Catholic
• Image: What Lottie Loves