Retired Bishop Erwin Krautler of Xingu, Brazil, speak at a press briefing following a session of the Synod of Bishops for the Amazon at the Vatican Oct. 9, 2019. Also pictured is scientist Carlos Alfonso Nobre, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007. (CNS photo/Paul Haring)

Possibility of women deacons proposed on day three of the Amazon Synod

by Luke Hansen October 9, 2019

Bishop Kräutler said there are thousands of indigenous communities in the Amazon that “do not celebrate the Eucharist except perhaps one, two or three times a year.” The bishops in favor of ordaining married men, he said, “are not against celibacy. We just want these brothers and sisters of ours not to have just a celebration of the word but also the celebration of the Eucharist.”

Leah Rose Casimero, an indigenous representative from Guyana, leaves the first session of the Synod of Bishops for the Amazon at the Vatican on Oct. 7, 2019. (CNS photo/Paul Haring)

Faith, Vatican Dispatch

Here’s what happened on the first day of the Amazon Synod.

by Luke Hansen October 8, 2019

The general relator of this special synod, emphasized several themes of Pope Francis’ pontificate: the church must “throw open her doors”; “true tradition” is “the church’s living history”; and “God always brings newness,” so “one must not fear what is new.”

Faith, Vatican Dispatch

A migrant’s cross for a new Jesuit cardinal

by Luke Hansen October 4, 2019

The cross is made from a piece of a wooden boat used by migrants to cross the Mediterranean to land on the island of Lampedusa.

Dispatches, Faith

Catholic sisters and nuns call for voting rights for women at the Amazon synod

by Luke Hansen October 4, 2019

Reform groups are seeking to bring attention to the fact that 185 men but no women are voting members of the Special Synod of Bishops on the Pan-Amazonian Region that begins on Oct. 6.

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Dispatches, Faith

In the Amazon, Pope Francis is setting the agenda for a new kind of synod

by Luke Hansen September 12, 2019

Catholic bishops, indigenous leaders and experts are preparing to gather in Rome from Oct. 6 to Oct. 27 for the special Synod of Bishops on the Pan-Amazonian Region.

Faith, Faith in Focus

I fasted on only bread and juice for Lent. This is what I learned.

by Luke Hansen March 5, 2019

Fasting always sounds like a brilliant idea before the consequences hit home. Having lost some control over my bowel movements, I felt vulnerable and fragile. I was afraid. Was it really worth it? Would I make it the full 40 days?

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Dispatches, Faith

Australian bishop: respect for women is a top concern at Synod

by Luke Hansen October 26, 2018

“We have a picture of what the goal looks like—the dignity of women, women feeling appreciated, their gifts being used—but how do you get there?”

Rev. Martina Viktorie Kopecká at the Synod on young people (Credit: Vatican Media)

Dispatches, Faith

What’s it like being the only female cleric at the synod on young people?

by Luke Hansen October 22, 2018

“I was surprised that they even listened to me,” said Rev. Martina Viktorie Kopecká. “I am quite young and a woman. I wore a white stole. They are not pushing me away.”