The issue isn’t going away, and needs to be addressed fully, transparently and with integrity
Michael W. Higgins is the Basilian Distinguished Fellow of Contemporary Catholic Thought at the University of Toronto’s St. Michael’s College. His latest book isWhat is it with the Roman Catholic Church and women? It’s not as if they just arrived on the scene and need to be integrated into the life of the church.
So when the issue of women in the diaconate surfaced at last year’s first session of the Synod on Synodality, it was not a surprise nor particularly welcomed. But it wasn’t banned either. There was a genuine expectation among many that the subject would resurface during the second session – currently unfolding in Rome. But Pope Francis, fearing its contentiousness would detract from the larger agenda of the synod, sought to defang the matter.
Well, I am an Inopportunist in that I think the role of women in ordained ministries – deacon and priest – is not best served or aired in the current synod. We need to do some serious institutional scouring beforehand. The primary concern must remain the scourge of clericalism and how we practically and methodically establish structures that confirm its erasure. Clericalism is a perversion of the priesthood resulting not in a selfless ministry of service but in entitlement.
Francis Synod Abuse Clericalism Life Issue Ministry Roman Catholic Church Ontario Rome
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