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And yet, it advances: more "pastoral responsibilities" for women in the Church, the invitation to "continue researching" on the possibility of the female diaconate and the issue "that must be taken up again" on whether the obligation of celibacy for priests is necessary in the Catholic Church, in addition to "questions related to gender identity and sexual orientation " that raise "new questions" that must be answered "without yielding to simplistic judgments that harm individuals and the Body of the Church."
These are just some of the still "open" questions approved on Saturday night by the Synod of Bishops of the Catholic Church, the points that have attracted the largest number (a few dozen) of negative votes, but which have been approved with a majority of more than two-thirds like the entire final report.
It was almost 21:00 p.m. when Pope Francis spoke in the Nervi Hall, at the end of the first session that began on October 4, to "thank everyone from the bottom of my heart." Shortly before, she had posed for a photograph with the Synod Mothers, the women who had the right to vote for the first time since Paul VI instituted the Synod: 54 out of 365.
Nothing has been decided yet, but to ease tensions between conservatives and progressives, Francis has divided the assembly into two parts, with the second meeting in a year's time.
Meanwhile, the approved text shows the face of "a Church that goes forth, that creates spaces for everyone, without excluding anyone, because this is the approach of Jesus," says Cardinal Mario Grech, secretary general of the synod.
A few days ago, Francis himself exclaimed in the classroom: "The Church is feminine, she is a wife, she is a mother. And when ministers overstep their service and mistreat the people of God, they disfigure the face of the Church with chauvinistic and dictatorial attitudes."
The Pope explained that "the Church does not live on rents," recalling the memorable speech with which he began the synodal process two years ago with a consultation of the faithful from all over the world: "We must not create another Church, but a different Church."
The essential thing is what he said at WYD in Lisbon on August 3: "In the Church there is room for everyone! No one is superfluous, there is room for everyone, just as we are. Everybody, everybody, everybody."
The document approved by the Synod states that numerous women spoke of "a Church that hurts" and lament that "clericalism, machismo and the inappropriate use of authority continue to mark the face of the Church and damage communion."
The text proposes "theological and pastoral research on women's access to the diaconate," an option "unacceptable to some" that reflects divisions in the institution where only men can be deacons or priests. The issue of the role of women was presented as a priority, but aroused strong resistance.
The two proposals in this regard received the most noes, around 20% of the votes." This confirms that these are open questions: the study is ongoing. There is still a long way to go," the secretary general of the synod, Cardinal Mario Grech, said at a press conference, estimating that the Church "creates spaces for everyone."
For almost a month, the members of the Synod, made up of bishops and laity from all continents and assisted by a hundred experts, debated in groups and behind closed doors on topics such as polygamy, the ordination of married men and the fight against violence. After a two-year broad consultation among the faithful, this meeting on the future of the Church opened on October 4 amid hopes of openness and fears of conservatives in the face of a possible deviation from doctrine.
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