“If we received a sacrament in order to serve, how then, called to serve, could we say no?”, ask couple, 44 and 42, parents of two children
“I cannot imagine Pope Francis wanting to prevent democratic decisions” on future of Church, says president of Central Committee of German Catholics after pontiff’s controversial remarks at Wednesday General Audience
Catholic Women’s Association of Germany decries that in the Church “maintaining power takes precedence over the suffering of the victims” of abuse
Youth, workers’ and women’s associations call for “courage, strength, confidence and openness” to recommit to ‘Synodal Path’ reform dialogue
As a result of prelate’s failure to publish key report on negligence, “much lies in ruins and the Church has lost credibility”, laments Diocesan Council
Lay accountability group finds 30% of local Churches either not providing any information online or posting only unaudited reports
“Mechanisms need to be found to ensure that the whole diocesan people of God is adequately represented” in the nomination of their shepherd, insists Bishop of Basel Felix Gmür
Cardinal O’Malley admits no longer enough for Church to apologise for abuse as Cardinal Cupich urges Catholics to “seize this moment” to eliminate “sin of clericalism”
“Power in the Church is in priestly hands, and we women have no right to it as long as we are denied the priesthood”, denounces academic Isabel Gómez Acebo
The movement ‘Promesses d’Eglise’ is setting its sights on the full recognition of the equal dignity of the baptised and more democracy in the Church, among other demands
Bishops’ liturgy commission head acknowledges “there is no such thing as a space free of power” in the Church, welcomes open discussion of Catholic exercise of authority
July document on mission of local churches was addressed to bishops, so bishops are Vatican’s dialogue partners, insists Congregation for Clergy Prefect Cardinal Beniamino Stella
After 18 years at the helm, Archbishop of Avignon trying to “save face” seven months out from likely retirement, laypeople denounce
Urge “fundamental renewal of our Church” so that “women are taken seriously with their vocations and take on leadership responsibility”
“We must promote the integration of women in the places in which important decisions are taken”, insists Francis at the Angelus
After individual meetings over the past month with the Pope’s nuncio in Paris, Frenchwomen aiming to shatter the stained-glass ceiling and access traditionally male-only Catholic roles have shared their dream of an “egalitarian Church truly inspired by the message of Christ”.
French laypeople have decried the “huge damage” being done by clericalism, and have demanded a say in a much-needed “rebirth of the Church”.
A Spanish theologian has said that the marginalisation of women is an “enormous impoverishment” for the Church.
Young theologians are denouncing discrimination in the Church, asking “how could a loving God want that?”.
In 2012 Fr Tony Flannery was punished by the C.D.F. for publishing articles about the ordination of women, the priesthood and LGBTQ+ people. Since then he has been removed from public ministry.
Irish Catholics are calling on their bishops to ensure “real and meaningful” lay participation in the “new” Church post-pandemic.
A leaked questionnaire on potential bishops has pointed up shortcomings in the Vatican appointments process.
German Catholic women have demanded that their bishops address the power imbalance in the Church, denouncing that in Catholicism “we women are still a long way from being where we belong”.
Portuguese Catholics have blasted a cardinal and a bishop for their “disappointing and undesirable conservatism”.
The head of the German Bishops’ Conference has clapped back at the cardinal of Cologne after he warned of the danger of schism emerging from the German Church’s ‘synodal path’ reform process.
The Catholic dean of Frankfurt has called for a “separation of powers” in the Church to reverse the institution’s “landslide loss of reputation and trust”.
The Cologne archdiocese in Germany is planning to slash the number of its parishes from 500 currently to 50 or 60 in ten years.