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Synod on Synodality now discussing female deacons, married priests, and lay governance
The Daily Knight
Synod participants will now spend the next few days discussing controversial topics, after officials refused to commit that members had to uphold Church teaching in discussions.
VATICAN CITY (LifeSiteNews) — Participants of the Synod on Synodality are currently discussing topics of married priests, female deacons, and increased lay ministry as part of the third of five modules held during the event.
Opening the proceedings on Friday morning, relator general Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich gave an address highlighting the chief themes that will form the subject of discussion at the synod until Wednesday.
The central question for the discussion is “Co-responsibility in Mission: How can we better share gifts and tasks in the service of the Gospel?” However, the 35 small circle groups will be dealing with the five different subsections of the module, with only one of the subsections assigned to each group for the duration of the module.
Within the worksheets provided to synod participants are questions dealing with
Lay leadership
Lay ministry
Clericalism
Role of women in governance
Possibility of female deacons
Possibility of married priests
Seminary formation to promote synodality
Role of bishops in a synodal church
Hollerich paid particular attention to highlighting the theme of women in the Church during his opening speech.
“Most of us are men. But men and women receive the same baptism and the same Spirit. The baptism of women is not inferior to the baptism of men,” he said, in what appeared to be an allusion to arguing for female ministry of some kind.
How can we ensure that women feel they are an integral part of this missionary Church? Do we, the men, perceive the diversity and the richness of the charisms the Holy Spirit has given to women? Or the way that how we act often depends on our past education, our family upbringing and experience, or the prej