Catholic Fire

The Pontifical Council for Culture studied the role women play in society and in the Church. For a year, several women took part in the research. Now the results will be starting point of a three-day discussion, as this Vatican council will celebrate its Plenary Assembly under the theme  "Women's Cultures: equality and difference.” CARD. GIANFRANCO RAVASI President, Pontifical Council for Culture "We won't discuss women's culture in itself, but rather the way women see it. Women have a specific way of understanding the world that has its own characteristics.” During the three-day meeting, the members of the council will try to track these characteristics. In particular, they will talk about the differences between men and women, and how they can help each other to avoid uniformity. ANNAMARIA TARANTOLA President RAI "Women don't have to imitate the "male model” of doing things. There are two models that together are important. That is, ...

Pope Francis spoke out once again about the importance of the "feminine genius.” This time, before a large delegation from the Italian Women's Center, a women's association, which closed their yearly national gathering at the Vatican. During his speech, the Pope reminded them that society and the labor force need a feminine touch. He added that he also wants women to have a more "capillary and incisive” role in the Church. POPE FRANCIS "Over the span of these decades, alongside other cultural and social transformations, the identity and role of the woman in the family, in society and in the Church, has seen notable changes, and over all, the participation and responsibility of women has continued to grow.” The Pope also said that the role of women in family life is "indispensable.” Especially because of their sensibility towards the weakest and defenseless family members. He closed off saying that discernment and prayer are the path to balance wo...

The paragraphs of the “Evangelii Gaudium” that are dedicated to women’s role in the Church, reject the idea of women priests but ask for the sacred order to be treated as a service not as power ANDREA TORNIELLI VATICAN CITY Some paragraphs of the Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium are helpful in shedding light on what the Pope means when he speaks about valuing women’s role in the Church. But it also shows how that the extravagant and highly clericalist idea of consecrating women bishops is light years away from Francis’ vision of things. Francis goes further than stressing his rejection of the consecration of female bishops, which John Paul II reiterated in his Apostolic Letter “Ordinatio sacerdotalis” of May 1994 (one of the briefer and denser documents of his pontificate): he adds some reflections on service and power. Most importantly, Francis writes that “the Church acknowledges the indispensable contribution which women make to society through the sensitivi...