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Keywords: Ordination

  • RELIGION

    The quiet revolution in women's roles in the Church

    • Joanna Thyer
    • 07 November 2024

    At the World Synod in Rome, four women joined to advocate for ordaining women as deacons. Though the topic remains off the table officially, the message highlights the Church’s internal conflict between traditional values and growing calls for inclusion and change.

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  • RELIGION

    Francis’ Church may be more transparent and accountable, but don’t call it democratic

    • Bill Uren
    • 04 September 2024

    The Synod on Synodality begins its second session in October. And while the synodal process may involve consultation, Pope Francis is keen to remind those hoping for reform that teaching authority remains with the Pope and bishops. As the Pope has insisted on a number of occasions, the Church is not a democracy, and the synod is not a parliament.

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  • RELIGION

    Women deacons: Is it time?

    • Elizabeth Young
    • 15 August 2024

      Copious research has demonstrated the historical existence of women deacons, including St Phoebe, the only person in scripture with the descriptor Deacon. So how far off is Australia from ordaining women deacons? 

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  • RELIGION

    Vatican document focuses on process, not problems

    • Bill Uren
    • 30 July 2024

    The Vatican's new Instrumentum Laboris outlines the path forward for the Synod on Synodality, but with a heavy emphasis on process over substance. While it acknowledges the need for greater women's involvement, it firmly reinforces the authority of the Pope and bishops, raising questions about the true potential for change.

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  • RELIGION

    Women deacons: A closed book?

    • Bill Uren
    • 11 June 2024

    In a 60 Minutes interview, Pope Francis was asked whether there would ever be the prospect within the Catholic Church of a woman being ordained as a deacon. The Pope’s reply was a blunt ‘No’. This negative response came as a surprise to many Vatican watchers. 

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  • RELIGION

    The doubts of the five cardinals

    • Bill Uren
    • 16 November 2023
    7 Comments

    Just two days before the opening of the recently concluded Synod on Synodality, five senior Cardinals — German Cardinal Walter Brandmüller, United States Cardinal Raymond Burke, Guinean Cardinal Robert Sarah, Hong Kong Cardinal Joseph Zen and Mexican Cardinal Juan Sandoval Ìñiguez — brought to public notice the five ‘Dubia’ (Doubts).

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  • AUSTRALIA

    Pope Francis' lesson for a polarised world: Focus on the process, not the outcome

    • Julian Butler
    • 11 October 2023

    Amidst a backdrop of polarized decisions and rising populism, at the Synod on Synodality in Rome, Pope Francis emphasises collaborative listening. As he explores decision-making in religious contexts, could prioritising process over outcome reshape our own current political landscape?

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  • RELIGION

    A Church for everyone: In conversation with Phyllis Zagano

    • Michele Frankeni
    • 26 May 2023
    3 Comments

    In a discussion with Michele Frankeni, Catholic scholar Dr Phyllis Zagano explores the question of whether there is a need for increased recognition of women in the Catholic Church, particularly regarding their potential in the diaconate. She investigates both the historical evidence for ordained female deacons and the modern arguments for their re-introduction.

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  • RELIGION

    Behind the bold discussions of the German Synod

    • Susan Sullivan
    • 25 May 2023
    4 Comments

    In the final German Synodal Way assembly, the Church addressed difficult issues, openly discussing obligatory celibacy and blessing same-sex couples and divorced Catholics. The assembly pushed for Church teachings to adapt to individual congregations' realities, but how this approach will affect the global Church is unclear.

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  • AUSTRALIA

    Wild and free: Living in an urban food forest

    • Andreana Reale
    • 21 March 2023
    1 Comment

    In a world where we rely on the market for our daily sustenance, have we forgotten about the edible plants growing in our own backyards? Despite the billions spent on herbicides to dispense with so-called weeds, these plants were once a vital part of our diets and have since been forgotten. 

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  • RELIGION

    Catholic, female and struggling: Survey reveals women's desire for Church reform

    • David Halliday
    • 17 March 2023
    8 Comments

    Over 17,000 women worldwide have called for Church reform in a newly published survey by Catholic Women Speak Network. Respondents from 104 countries expressed dissatisfaction with a lack of transparency in governance and voiced the need to be seen, heard and valued. 

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  • AUSTRALIA

    Sowing the seeds of resistance

    • Andreana Reale
    • 25 January 2023
    3 Comments

    Threatened with the closure of the local nursing home, leaving elderly residents stranded, locals in Dimboola are selling home-grown produce to raise money to save the facility. And at the same time, they're breathing new life into the local sharing economy. 

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