This quote, from Ricardo da Silva, and American Jesuit, sums up for me what has been, and continues to be, a major obstacle to inclusion in the Church — the use of specialised language in the dialogue between authorities and theologians that is largely meaningless to the average believer.
Who, after all, is the synod for? We speak of a synod that is more inclusive, participatory, transparent and accountable, calling for shared responsibility among the people of God.
What I am going to say in this short article, I have said many times in the past fourteen years, but there is a sense in which I need to keep saying it. It is also provoked by a current dispute in the Irish political world, in which a politician is accusing his party of using what he called a “kangaroo court” in dealing with a dispute in which he is involved.
Association of Catholic Priests
ACP Disappointed Over Women’s Issues in the Synod
8 October 2024
The equality of women, and in particular calls for their ordination to the diaconate, has been one of the biggest issues to emerge in the synodal process around the world. Disappointingly, Pope Francis removed this, and other issues, from the current synodal meeting, asking committees to study them further and report to him in 2025.
Cardinal Fernandez, who chaired the committee on women deacons, has stated that there is currently no basis for ordaining women.
