The Pope shows openness to more roles for women, but is under pressure

The Pope shows openness to more roles for women, but is under pressure

A sense of urgency has grown after the role of women became a dominant theme as Catholics from around the world were surveyed for their views ahead of a synod of bishops that officially ended on Sunday.

The role of women in the Catholic faith

The synod assembly's final document, approved by Pope Francis, says women must be given all the opportunities offered by canon law to serve as leaders. Nevertheless, the question of ordaining women as deacons remains an “open” matter that requires further consideration.

Frustrations over slow reforms

Frustrations over the slow reform process came to the fore during the meeting when the pope's faith advisor ruled out the ordination of women as deacons and then did not appear at a meeting on this issue. He later apologized and stopped a 90-minute conversation with members of the congregation.

Historical perspectives and current challenges

Phyllis Zagano, a research professor at Hofstra University in New York and an expert on women deacons, emphasized that "there is ample evidence of the sacramental ordination of women as deacons in the Church, East and West, dating back to the 12th century" and that "ultimately a decision must be made."

Criticism of the Pope and the male hierarchy

Pope Francis is also criticized because he sees the role of women in the church as “reductive” has described. In an interview earlier this year, he ruled out the possibility of ordaining women as deacons, who can take on many of the duties of a priest, aside from saying Mass and saying confession.

The path to equality in the church

The situation in the church is further complicated by the fact that women make up the majority of believers, while an all-male hierarchy controls the decision-making processes. In addition, Catholic teaching prohibits women from being ordained priests, a decision that Francis has maintained even as he has allowed studies of female deacons.

A new contemporary approach

During previous papal times, the question of the ordination of women was not even brought up for discussion. The big difference is that the 87-year-old Argentine is now showing that he is willing to listen carefully to the voices of Catholics. In a significant move, Francis declared for the first time that he would not issue a doctrinal document following the Vatican Synod's recommendations and approved the synod's decisions, giving them additional authority. “It is a revolution that no one notices,” remarked one cardinal after the meeting.

Women in responsible positions

During his pontificate, Francis has also sought to crack cracks in the Vatican's glass ceiling. He has appointed women to senior positions in the church's central administration, including a religious sister to support the synod and the first female members of the board of a powerful Vatican department that decides bishop appointments.

A historical milestone

For the first time, women were also included as voting members, with 54 female voters among around 360 delegates. One of those women was Julia Oseka, 23, who is studying theology and physics at St. Joseph's University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and is the youngest woman ever to be a voting member of a Vatican synod.

The need for change

"There is definitely an urgent need to not only recognize and accept that women in Catholicism have equal baptismal dignity to men, but also to take action," she told CNN. Oseka added that she sometimes feels “frustrated” with the “slow pace” of decisions, but that many areas of the church “struggle” when it comes to women’s inclusion and that it is important to maintain unity.

The resistance to reforms

Francis' approach is also marked by opposition to any reforms of women's roles: the Vatican assembly's statement on women received 97 "no" votes, more than any other section in the final document. "There is resistance because there is still fear of this shared responsibility in the Catholic Church. But the participation and the role of women are really crucial issues," Helena Jeppesen-Spuhler, a church worker from Switzerland and voting delegate, told CNN.

The message of the Catholic Church to the world

She explained that the Pope recognized that the issue of women deacons cannot be "closed" and that it is important for the Catholic Church to send a message to the world where discrimination and violence against women are increasing. “If we don’t take a clear stand, we contradict our own message,” she added.

The path to tangible change

For some Catholics, the pope and church leaders are not going far enough. “Women are looking for concrete change and reform that urgently recognizes their equality,” Kate McElwee, the executive director of Women’s Ordination Worldwide, told CNN. “How much longer do women have to wait?”

Nevertheless, for a church that thinks in terms of centuries, what may seem like small steps from the outside are, for many within the church, significant progress.