Synod Study on Women Calls for "Redefining" Holy Orders
The Synod Secretariat today released the report of Study Group 5, which examined the role of women in the Church.
The report calls for the expansion of existing instituted ministries for women including lector, acolyte, catechist as well as leadership roles in communities, dioceses and Vatican institutions.
Most troubling quotes, slightly paraphrased:
- It is necessary to reflect particularly on reformulating the areas of competence of ordained ministry […] Redefining these areas of competence could open recognition of new spaces of responsibility for women in the Church. (page 12)
- There are no reasons that prevent women from assuming leadership roles in the Church. It is important to reiterate that there is nothing, in the mere fact of being a woman, that prevents assuming roles of leadership in the Church. (page 13)
- Every Curial institution carries out its mission by virtue of authority received from the Roman Pontiff. The primatial authority of the Roman Pontiff can be delegated even to baptized persons who have not received Holy Orders. (page 14)
- Lay people may also participate in governance not connected with the sacrament of Orders - even in the leadership of a community, as in the example of ‘general delegates’ or catechists. (page 14)
- It is important that theology and canon law undertake to explore new forms of exercising authority based on the sacrament of Baptism and distinct from those deriving from Holy Orders. (page 14-15)
- It is appropriate today to broaden women’s access to institutional tasks […] thus ensuring proper ecclesial recognition of the diaconia of the baptized, particularly of women. (page 16)
Picture: © Mazur/cbcew.org.uk CC BY-NC-ND, #newsMbqceqmpbh
The Synod Secretariat today released the report of Study Group 5, which examined the role of women in the Church.
The report calls for the expansion of existing instituted ministries for women including lector, acolyte, catechist as well as leadership roles in communities, dioceses and Vatican institutions.
Most troubling quotes, slightly paraphrased:
- It is necessary to reflect particularly on reformulating the areas of competence of ordained ministry […] Redefining these areas of competence could open recognition of new spaces of responsibility for women in the Church. (page 12)
- There are no reasons that prevent women from assuming leadership roles in the Church. It is important to reiterate that there is nothing, in the mere fact of being a woman, that prevents assuming roles of leadership in the Church. (page 13)
- Every Curial institution carries out its mission by virtue of authority received from the Roman Pontiff. The primatial authority of the Roman Pontiff can be delegated even to baptized persons who have not received Holy Orders. (page 14)
- Lay people may also participate in governance not connected with the sacrament of Orders - even in the leadership of a community, as in the example of ‘general delegates’ or catechists. (page 14)
- It is important that theology and canon law undertake to explore new forms of exercising authority based on the sacrament of Baptism and distinct from those deriving from Holy Orders. (page 14-15)
- It is appropriate today to broaden women’s access to institutional tasks […] thus ensuring proper ecclesial recognition of the diaconia of the baptized, particularly of women. (page 16)
Picture: © Mazur/cbcew.org.uk CC BY-NC-ND, #newsMbqceqmpbh