Pope Francis’ church reform process ends without providing more equality for women

Pope Francis’ years-long process of reforming the Catholic Church closed on Saturday with recommendations that fell short of giving women more equality than expected but revealed the pope’s intentions for a church that at least listens more to its followers.

It is an important step and the Pope said that he will not issue a teaching book with recommendations, saying that women are allowed all the opportunities that exist in Church law while leaving open the controversial question of allowing women to be ordained as deacons.

As a result, it is not clear if the authority or impact the final recommendations of the synod will have, given that the purpose of this process was to give the pope some proposals for reforms.

“In this time of war, we must be witnesses of peace” and give an example of living in conflict, the pope said when explaining his decision.

Francis said he would continue to listen to the advice of the bishops, adding that “this is not the old way of delaying decisions indefinitely.”

Deacons perform many of the same duties as priests, such as presiding over baptisms, weddings and funerals, but they cannot celebrate Mass. Opponents say it will mark the beginning of a slippery slope towards the ordination of women and all men to the priesthood, which Francis has repeatedly reinforced.

Earlier this week, the Vatican’s top doctrinal officer, Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernandez, told an extraordinary meeting of 368 bishops and laity that Francis said the time was “not yet ripe” for allowing the ordination of women as deacons. He did not directly respond to a request to explain what would determine the “maturity” of a larger role for women.

This process of the synod, which has been going on for many years, has created hundreds of hopes for change, especially for women who have been complaining for some time that they are treated as second-class people in the church. Women are banned from high positions in the church, yet they do a large part of the work of running Catholic hospitals and schools and passing on the faith to future generations.

Speaking to the synod on Thursday, Fernandez explained that the special team will continue beyond the closing of the meeting, but that it will focus on discussing the role of women in the church – not the deacon, or the office of deacons. He added that when he worked with women in previous pastoral roles, “most did not want or want a deacon, which would be difficult in their private work.”

The meeting called for “the full implementation of all the opportunities already provided in Canon Law regarding the role of women, especially in those areas where they remain poorly explored.” It leaves open “the question of women’s access to the ministry of deacons.”

It was the most contested section of the final text, with 258 votes in favor and 97 against. It was unclear whether the “no” votes were because the language went too far or not enough.

The result is the frustration of Catholics who have been campaigning for the recognition that women share a spiritual calling that is not different from that of men. They also noted that despite the inclusion of women in the synod process, the working group that directs discussions on the role of women is run by the Roman curia, which operates outside the synod.

“I think the final document will be met with great disappointment and frustration by many women around the world who are hoping for tangible change,” said Kate McElwee, executive director of the Women’s Ordination Conference.

While acknowledging “cultural change,” she said “the pace of that change is probably slow for most women.”

The first phase of the synod’s plan ended last year by concluding that it is “urgent” to ensure the full participation of women in church leadership positions, and asking for further theological and pastoral research on allowing women to become deacons.

If before the synod the idea of ​​allowing women to become deacons was a proposal pushed by Western developers, the idea received attention during the debate. It was a serious test of how far the church would go, or not, to accommodate women’s demands for greater equality and representation in the highest positions of the church.

Francis, had other ideas, stressing that the ordination of women would be just a “priest” and that there are many other ways to promote women in the church, to lead Catholic communities, without ordination.