Catholic Church: World Synod without clear decision on the role of women

Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung Catholic Church: World Synod without clear decision on the role of women 3 hours • 2 minutes reading time Pope Francis is taking part in a meeting of the 16th General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops in the Vatican. The deliberations of the Catholic World Synod have come to an end without any prospect of concrete reforms. At the meeting of more than 360 bishops, other clergy and Catholics without ecclesiastical office, a declaration was passed after almost four weeks that remained vague on many points. The hope that there would now be significant changes under Pope Francis was dashed. The 45-page declaration was adopted in all points by the Synod in the Vatican in the evening with a two-thirds majority. Francis left open which recommendations would be adopted and in what form. "It now takes time to reach decisions that affect the whole Church," said the Pontiff in his concluding remarks. The 87-year-old has the final say on all issues in the Catholic Church. Female diaconate “a very delicate question” Even before the synod began, Francis had set up a total of ten working groups to deal with various controversial issues. This also includes whether women will be allowed to be ordained as deacons in the future, as many church representatives from Germany, for example, are demanding. The Pope has made it clear that he personally does not think the time is yet ripe. The final document now simply states: “The question of women’s access to the diaconate remains open.” There were almost 100 votes against this - more than on any other point. The influential Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich from Luxembourg concluded by saying that the female diaconate was “a very delicate question”. The status quo would remain: “It is not a decision for, it is not a decision against. The question remains open." Abuse scandals are still an issue The passage on the diaconate also contains the sentence: "There is no reason or obstacle that should prevent women from taking on leadership roles in the church." Some see this as a cautious signal in the direction of reforms. The chairman of the German Bishops' Conference, Georg Bätzing, and many others had hoped that the synod would be clearer. A deacon can do everything a priest can - except lead a Eucharist celebration and hear confessions. Regarding the abuse scandals that have shaken the church for years, the statement says that this has "brought unspeakable and often lasting suffering to victims and survivors." The church must now "humbly ask for forgiveness" and strive to restore the trust that has been lost. Conservative camp criticizes "stalling tactics" From the perspective of reformers, the meeting is a great disappointment. The synod had "basically achieved nothing," said canon lawyer Thomas Schüller from Münster to the German Press Agency. In many controversial issues, Francis acted according to the maxim: "I, the Pope, am the Church. Basta." Criticism also came from the conservative camp, however. German Cardinal Gerhard Ludwig Müller accused the Pope of "avoiding a clear dogmatic answer." Instead, Francis was pursuing a "stalling tactic," Müller told the dpa. It is not clear exactly how things will proceed. The Pope announced that he did not want to publish a letter specifically on the recommendations, as had been expected. The Vatican also did not set a date for the next World Synod. First of all, 2025 will be a "Holy Year" - as is the case every 25 years. More than 30 million believers are expected in Rome for this.