Members of the worldwide Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests (ARCWP) and Roman Catholic Women Priests (RCWP) have requested a conversation with Pope Leo to share our 20+ year experiences of fostering an inclusive, Synodal Church that honors the full baptismal equality of all members including the call to service in a renewed priestly ministry. We await a response.
Women’s Ordination Response to Pope Leo on Women Deacons
“In a wide-ranging interview released yesterday, Pope Leo shared his intentions to follow in the footsteps of Pope Francis by appointing more women to leadership positions at the Vatican.
On women deacons?
"I—at the moment—don't have an intention of changing the teaching of the Church on the topic." Leo went on to say that he wants “to continue to listen to people” and allow study groups to keep examining the question. “We’ll walk with that and see what comes.”
This openness from the papacy demonstrates a deep respect for the synodal process. Yet, a wait-and-see approach to women’s baptismal equality and the fullness of our vocations fails to respond to the urgent needs of our church today. God calls women to ordained ministry. The People of God call women to ordained ministry. How long must women - and our church - wait?
As Professor Nicola Slee, inspired by the life of St. Hildegard, reminds us:
The path is not long, but the way is deep.
You must not only walk there, you must be prepared to leap.
We call on Pope Leo not simply to “walk with women,” but to make the leap toward God’s promise of equality by removing all barriers to women discerning and living out their vocations to ordained ministry.
And speaking of St. Hildegard! 💚 We have just returned from a visit to Bingen, Germany, where WOC joined our partners in Women's Ordination Worldwide (WOW) on a short pilgrimage and working meeting during her recent feast day. On that sacred ground, inspired by Hildegard’s prophetic vision, we wrote an open letter and invitation to Pope Leo. WOW’s message is clear:
“We recognize that the message of unity is a core tenet of your pontificate. As such, we urge you to consider that without the full equality, dignity and inclusion of women, there can be no unity ... Meeting with women’s ordination advocates will demonstrate your commitment to unity, because women are not a problem to be solved, we are the solution.”
Our time in Bingen was incredibly enriching, and a heartening reminder of the "veriditas" and vitality that flows through the women's ordination movement.”
