Free Republic

[Catholic Caucus] Catholic women urged to 'strike' over inequality in the churchWhat would the Catholic Church do without women? If some activists have their way, we're about to find out.A new project is urging women to strike by withholding time, labor and financial resources from the church during Lent, which begins March 5. The planned action is in response to the Vatican's synod on synodality, which concluded in October without action on women's leadership, including the opening of ordination to the diaconate or priesthood."The strike is for Catholics who are looking for a way to express their disappointment, frustration or...

[Catholic Caucus] Synodality—and ‘controversial’ issues—are here to stay: Takeaways from the Synod’s final documentWe have completed our work as synod delegates and have, with the approval of the Holy Father, published our final document: “For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation and Mission.” This is the fruit not only of our prayer, dialogue and discernment over these past two years in Rome, but even more importantly, reflective of the broad consultation that began in 2021 with the People of God in every diocese in the world. What are the highlights of this document? As I see it, they are as follows:1....

[Catholic Caucus] German bishop says women ‘preach’ in his diocese after Vatican puts brakes on women deaconsCalling for female deacons, Bishop Franz-Josef Overbeck told journalists on Tuesday that ‘unless we change’ existing structures within the Catholic Church, ‘we will no longer have priests in our parishes … very soon.’While Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernàndez declared Monday that the prospect of a female diaconate in the Catholic Church is “not mature,” Germany’s Bishop Franz-Josef Overbeck called for a “new answer” for the role of women in the Church, adding that he has commissioned women within his diocese to “preach” and provide “guidance”...