Sr Linda Pocher, speaking to Europa Press, clarified that the Catholic Church is not considering women's priestly ordination, yet the pope actively supports the idea of female deacons.

Participating in the Pope's Council of Cardinals (C9) meetings, Pocher - alongside other female theologians - provided insights into women's roles in the Church.

The discussions are integral to the ongoing Synod of Bishops on Synodality, scheduled to end this October.

Pocher, a Salesian theologian, along with Lucia Vantini and Father Luca Castiglioni, addressed the council highlighting key issues regarding the role of women in the Church.

The session included Anglican Bishop Jo Bailey Wells who shared insights into the ordination of women in the Anglican Church.

"The pope asked me to organise this meeting of reflection on the world of women in the Church and, to me, it seemed interesting to compare the experience of the Anglican Church" Pocher said.

Pocher asked Wells to explain the process in the Anglican Church that led to their decision to ordain women and how this decision "changed life in her Church."

Role of women in the Church debated

Pocher emphasised the pope's evolving perspective on the distinction between ordained ministry and baptismal priesthood, exemplified by allowing women to vote in synods, a change heralding broader participation in Church matters.

"The diaconate was also discussed. We know that the pope is very much in favour of the female diaconate, but he is still trying to understand how to put it into practice" she said.

Although the discussions at the C9 were receptive, Pocher noted varying degrees of openness among cardinals influenced by cultural contexts.

The topic of women deacons gained prominence in 2016 when Pope Francis initiated a commission to study the issue. Despite two commissions, a definitive conclusion remains elusive.

In 2019, the Synod of Bishops on the Amazon witnessed widespread support for the female diaconate. However conclusive action is pending.

During last October's Synod of Bishops on Synodality, the topics of women priests, the women's diaconate and the role of women in the Church were among the most debated and contested issues.

Sources

Katholisch

Crux Now

National Catholic Register

CathNews New Zealand

"Regarding some media articles relating to the reasons for why Cardinal Ladaria Ferrer will not participate in the coming synodal assembly, in agreement with His Eminence, it is specified that these reconstructions have no foundation and are the fruit of pure fantasy," a Sept 23 Vatican statement said.

"The truth of the facts is that having completed his mandate as prefect of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, Cardinal Ladaria, close to 80 years of age, asked not to participate in the synod exclusively due to accumulated tiredness and his desire for a bit of rest," the statement said.

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The group notes that calls to rethink the celibacy requirement have circulated in various Catholic arenas of late, from the pope's own Synod for the Amazon to the recently concluded "synodal path" of the German Catholic Church.

Called the "Association of Married Priests," the group elected a new president March 20, a former priest from Naples named Natalino Mele.

"In view of the synod, we're preparing our proposal, which obviously won't be the only one," Mele said. "What's happening in Germany is reason for hope … it's an acceleration towards change."

In a recent interview with an Argentine news agency called Infobae, Pope Francis addressed the issue of priestly celibacy. He referred to it as a "provisional" discipline in the Latin church, which is not essential to the priesthood.

When asked whether the celibacy requirement could be changed, the pontiff responded positively.

"Yes, yes," he said. "In fact, everyone in the Eastern Church is married, or those who want to. There they make a choice. Before ordination, (they have) the choice to marry or to be celibate."

At the same time, Francis expressed skepticism that lifting the celibacy requirement would increase the number of candidates for the priesthood. Read More