The role of women in the Catholic church is widely expected to be centre stage at the Rome Synod of Bishops in October. Panellists at a Religion Media Centre briefing suggested the headlines would be: “Synod opens the door to women deacons?”; “Women can no longer be silenced”; “Women in the church, the great debate”. The gathering will also discuss clericalism, worship, the abuse of power, migration and climate change, concerns which emerged from a two-year global consultation in a process of listening to all church members. The briefing was told that the new synod process is likely to be “the signature of this Pope”.
Hosted by Rosie Dawson, our guests were: Christopher Lamb, Rome correspondent for The Tablet; Professor Anna Rowlands, Professor of Catholic Social Thought & Practice, University mof Durham, working with the General Secretariat of the Synod; Catherine Pepinster, journalist and author; Sister Professor Gill Goulding, member of the international theological commission for the Rome Synod; Miriam Duignan, representing the lay alternative Synod “Sprit Unbounded”; and Martin Pendergast, Co-founder of LGBT+ Catholics Westminster and Chair of the Global Network of Rainbow Catholics Theology Committee.
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