Pope Francis on Tuesday appointed a commission to study the issue of female Church deacons in a move seen as a potential first step towards women entering the Catholic clergy. The 13-member commission, made up of seven men and six women, will examine the question with a particular focus on …
Read More »Pope Francis mulls opening door to female deacons
Vatican City, Holy See | AFP | Pope Francis said Thursday he would set up a commission to study the possibility of women entering the Catholic clergy, in his latest potentially historic opening on a vexed issue for the Church. In apparently off-the-cuff remarks the 79-year-old pontiff promised to examine …
Read More »We are all migrants, Pope says as he takes 12 refugees to Vatican
Lesbos, Greece | AFP | Declaring “we are all migrants,” Pope Francis on Saturday brought a message of hope to thousands of people facing expulsion from Greece as he slammed the world community for failing to end the wars fueling the crisis. In an emotional visit that saw people kneeling …
Read More »Pope Francis to issue guide to love, sex and marriage
Vatican City (AFP) – Pope Francis will on Friday issue new guidelines on the Church’s approach to love, sex and marriage in what is being billed as one of the defining moments of his tenure. Is he gay-friendly and relaxed about divorce and cohabitation? Or is the pontiff a conservative …
Read More »Pope Francis on abortion
By Justine Toh His edict isn’t new, but it is nice The Pope’s announcement on abortions is not upending centuries of official moral doctrine, it is simply reaffirming an old message of mercy. He is getting across the idea that God is less a legislator than a loving Father, writes …
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