PROGRESS

Pope Urges Catholic Church to Guarantee Governance Posts for Women

Proponents lauded the mere discussion of such issues between bishops and everyday Catholics

Pope Francis on Saturday urged a greater level of participation for women in church leadership and pushed for ordaining women as deacons during a summit on the Catholic Church’s future, making progress but ending without action on the issue, the Associated Press reported. That and a host of other issues are to be examined again at another session next year. Proponents lauded the mere discussion of such issues—including church policies on homosexuality—between bishops and everyday Catholics. “Though some seem to think it is possible to talk about co-responsibility in mission without addressing the elephant in the room, the fundamental equality of women and their access to all ministries of the church is a question that will persist until it is attended to with fierce attention to the Gospel,” the Women’s Ordination Conference said this week in a statement.