They agree the decision will compel Asia's national churches to widen male and female lay Catholics' participation in Church activities.

The ruling means "the universal Church, as well as local churches, must open their doors to welcome the greater and active participation of women in making crucial decisions about the Church's activities," says a Vietnamese theologian.

Theologians across Asia agree.

They allude to how national churches have been excluding lay people, particularly women, from various church bodies: these include those that make decisions on their budgeting, ministry programmes, volunteer labour and internal operations.

Men, mostly clerics, continue to lead the work.

"The Church must return to its nature, that is to make sure there is no discrimination against women - as Jesus allowed some women to take part in the activities of the apostles," he says.

Women's participation varies across Asia

In the Philippines, women lay leaders are common.

At the national and continental levels of the synod, religious and lay people - men and women - fully participated as delegates.

In Sri Lanka, while some women are lectors and Eucharistic Ministers, some parish priests do not allow women to read the parish notices and announcements, a priest says.

"If women can vote in the Synod of Bishops, it is very important they are given positions, especially in Church media and parish councils," he adds.

Some priests claim "lay people need to be paid when they are involved in Church activities and ministries. But nothing needs to be paid to invite women to Maundy Thursday foot-washing rituals. But there are priests who are not interested in that too."

Cut patriarchal cultural barriers

In Pakistan, a leading theologian sees the Pope's decision as an "effort to revisit the teachings of the Second Vatican Council - giving it a pastoral and prophetic reinterpretation.

The Church in Muslim-dominated Pakistan has been "a bit against this vision" of equality, he says - but now the Pope asks us to "work for the teachings of the Gospel that holds women as a complete persons with equal rights as a believer.

The first woman president of the Indian Theological Association says Francis has been consistently taking steps towards the full participation of women in the Church.

Francis wants the Church to function in a "Synodal way - a journeying of all members together.

Therefore, it is most appropriate to include lay people including women to be participants with voting rights in the third phase of the synod which is the universal phase."

Matristics as important as Patristics

"Arguably India has the largest number of women religious in the world," an Indian theologian says.

In the Indian context, "the papal decision must impel us to take initiatives to audit women's role in the shaping of the Church," he says.

Women should be listened to in the synodal discussions.

An Indonesian lay theologian notes women played "great and important roles" in the early Church. But the "superpower of the so-called patriarchy eliminated" women roles.

"We have only the theological discipline of Patristics or Patrology - the theological study of early Church fathers.

But the Church also needs to study the Matristics - the early Church mothers, he says.

Hope for a better Church

In Myanmar, Bangladesh and Korea, theologians are delighted with the change.

They agree "local Churches should seek ways to implement this mechanism of synodality, where all the people of God join together."

Source

• UCA News

Bishop Daniel Flores, who has been coordinating the synod process for the United States bishops, said the meeting was "very encouraging".

Francis speaks "very beautifully about the Church and about how close to his heart is the issue of participation and building up communion," Flores said.

"Francis knows some people have exaggerated expectations for the synod while others have exaggerated anxiety because it is not completely clear where the process is leading.

"This is despite the fact the pope has spoken frequently about strengthening a "synodal church", where all baptised members listen to one another and share responsibility for the Church's life and mission."

In the synod's local, national and continental phases, people made a "great investment of spiritual and personal energy and of time," reading, praying and listening to one another.

It became very clear to Flores that he and others in his diocese must be much more intentional and creative in "reaching out to people who, because of their own personal circumstances, don't feel free or confident" about joining their parish or diocese's life.

"The Church sometimes can become a little too comfortable and only the comfortable feel comfortable there," he said.

Flores explained the Vatican meeting was an "orientation" meeting. Members will read and review all the reports from the synod's continental stage reflection, help prepare the synod working document and help during the synod itself.

The Commission members don't know yet if they will be full voting members of the synod, but Flores said it's likely.

If so, Mercedarian Sister Shizue Hirota from Tokyo, the Commission's only woman, would be a voting member of the synod.

Francis has already said that whoever participates in a synod as a member "has the right to vote. Whether male or female".

Hirota said the meeting included a presentation on the "episcopal mission" and bishops' special responsibility in the synodal discernment process.

As a member of God's people, a bishop has a responsibility to listen to his people," she said.

So, although most synod members will be bishops, many other people's contributions will be like a memory or reminder "of the ecclesial journey that we have made".

Source

• United Stated Catholic Bishops Conference

Pope Francis made the comment in an interview with the Argentinean newspaper La Nacion.

Francis stressed that including diverse voices in the synod is an ongoing process but that everyone who participates in the synod, regardless of gender, has the right to vote.

This marks a significant change from the previous policy, which limited voting to bishops and a select group of priests and religious brothers.

La Nacion asked Francis about the importance of the Synod of Bishops on synodality.

During the 2019 Synod of Bishops for the Amazon, he said "the question was asked: Why can't women vote? Are they second-class Christians?"

The Vatican's answer always had been that while the input of many was essential to a synod, it was the role of bishops to discern and vote.

Traditionally, 10 priests were elected by the men's Union of Superiors General of religious orders as full voting members of the synod alongside bishops.

However, In February 2021, Francis named Xavière Missionary Sr Nathalie Becquart as one of the undersecretaries of the synod general secretariat, a post that would make her an automatic voting member of the assembly.

So, La Nacion asked the pope if only one woman would have a vote at the next synod assembly.

"Everyone who participates in the synod will vote. Those who are guests or observers will not vote," he said, but whoever participates in a synod as a member "has the right to vote. Whether male or female. Everyone, everyone. That word everyone for me is key."

Sources

NCR

US Conference of Catholic Bishops

The Union of Superiors General for priests and brothers and the International Union of Superiors General for sisters and nuns are working on a proposal "to consider how, in future synods going forward, we can get more voice from the sisters."

At their annual joint meeting in November, the two umbrella groups will be moving the issue forward, Father Marco Tasca, the minister general, says.

"I think the correct path is to present this together, not 'we men' or 'we women' like children, but together.

"Consecrated life is made up of priests and laypeople, so it is only right that there also be lay superiors general at the synod."

World leader of the De La Salle Brothers, Robert Schieler, who is one of two non-ordained religious brothers serving as members of the synod on young people, says the umbrella groups are planning to ask Pope Francis to consider their proposal.

They will also ask Francis about the possibility of giving the women who take part in the synod the power to vote in the discussions.

While rules for the Synod of Bishops provide for the men's union of superiors to elect 10 voting members for the synod, there is no such provision for the women's union of superiors.

"It's a Synod of Bishops," Bruno Cadore, master of the Dominican order says.

But he points out the synod rules allow for "representatives" of religious life to participate, and they should be both men and women.

He also notes 80 percent of consecrated people in the church are women.

The seven women religious allowed to take part in the current synod on youth are serving in non-member roles: they can participate fully in the month-long discussions but they are not allowed to vote on the synod's final document.

However, Schieler says the Church's theology says brothers and sisters have analogous roles. They are each non-ordained, professed members of religious orders.

The difference is, they, as non-ordained men, may vote and women may not.

Source

• National Catholic Reporter
• The Tablet
• Image: Crux Now