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Keywords: Diaconate

RELIGION

The quiet revolution in women's roles in the Church
- Joanna Thyer
- 07 November 2024
3 Comments
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

Progress on a hope and a prayer
- John Warhurst
- 07 November 2024
14 Comments
The Catholic Church recently displayed two strikingly different faces. In Rome, the Synod on Synodality wrapped up with a facade of unity. But back in Melbourne, a Catholic University’s graduation became a battleground over church doctrine and free speech, exposing deep, unresolved fractures within the church.
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RELIGION

Women deacons: Is it time?
- Elizabeth Young
- 15 August 2024
12 Comments
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
7 Comments
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
15 Comments
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

Catholic schools: Australia's ecclesial future?
- John Warhurst
- 15 August 2023
43 Comments
In Australia, Catholic schools are thriving amidst declining parishes. As the Synod on Synodality looms, can these institutions, grappling with a diverse, increasingly secular student body, reshape the future of the Catholic Church in Australia?
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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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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

Speaking truth to power: In conversation with Tim Costello
- Barry Gittins, Tim Costello
- 07 October 2022
1 Comment
Reverend Tim Costello's informal status as a nagging conscience to many Australian governments, including the Howard government in which his brother Peter served as federal treasurer, was formally acknowledged when the National Trust of Australia chose him as a ‘National Living Treasure’. Barry Gittins speaks to Tim Costello about the nature of power, and its place and exercise in public life.
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RELIGION

Should women be deacons? The stories behind Motion 54
- Elizabeth Young
- 15 June 2022
3 Comments
Should women be considered for ministry as deacon? Should Pope Francis authorise such ministry? This topic often raises emotions, and strong views either for or against. This is one of the questions posed by Motion 54 to the Church’s July Plenary Council session, where members will amend and vote on 105 motions, prompted by the question, ‘What do you think God is asking of us in Australia at this time?’ Motion 54 is one to watch.
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RELIGION

Including women in the Catholic Church
- Marilyn Hatton
- 27 October 2020
37 Comments
Phyllis Zagano’s latest book Women: Icons of Christ is a must read for all who desire equality for women in our world and an inclusive practice of Catholic faith. The critical issue Zagano presents in this book is that ordaining women to the deaconate is a not a new or forbidden act in Catholic history but rather a return to a practice that endured for hundreds of years.
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Keywords: Diaconate