PRESS RELEASE 1 December 2022
Pope Francis Undermines His Own Synodal Project
Is Pope Francis practising the ‘Listening’ that he preaches?
We Are Church Ireland is astonished and disappointed at recent comments made by Pope Francis on the
role of women in the Church.
In an interview with AMERICA magazine (28 November 2022) the Pope ruled out, not only the possibility
of female ordination but also the possibility of female ministry. He crudely defined Ministry as being
reserved for men alone:
“The Petrine principle is that of Ministry.”
Since 2015, the Pope has been calling on all of us to walk together under the guidance of the Holy Spirit
and to listen with humility and respect to one another. He has encouraged a ‘Culture of Encounter’ among
Catholics and urged us to meet one another in a sacred space of mutual regard, where prejudices and rigid
positions are set aside in an effort to fully engage with and listen to ‘the other’.
Women in particular, all over the world, responded in huge numbers to his invitation to take part in the
“Synodal Process”. In their submissions, they expressed a strong desire for full equality in the Church and
called for all ministries to be open to them.
• Is Pope Francis ignoring these calls? Has he even read any of their submissions?
• Has Pope Francis ever met and listened to a woman with a vocation to ordination?
• Is he practicing the ‘listening” and ‘Culture of Encounter’ that he has preached?
• Will women have a voice and vote at the two Synod sessions?
We ask these questions because even before the Continental phase of the Synodal Process takes place in
March 2023, it appears the Pope is already trying to pre-empt all discussion by excluding women from all
ministries:
We Are Church Ireland entered into the Synodal Process in good faith and with a spirit of enthusiasm. We
care about our Church and we want to help it become a better sign of the divine reality that it points
towards.
Sadly, Pope Francis’s recent comments about women in the Church leaves us mystified and confused
about his commitment and sincerity to the Synodal Process.
We call on the Pope to practice the ‘Listening’ that he preaches.
Colm Holmes & Ursula Halligan
Joint Coordinators
WAC Ireland