Today (Saturday) an open meeting took place in the MacWilliam Hotel, Claremorris on the topic of womens voices being heard in the Church. 247 people attended. The attendance was made up largely of women, with maybe about a dozen clergy present.
The meeting was chaired by Monica Morley (of ‘Faith Alive” in Midwest radio). The two speakers were Kathleen McDonnell of the ‘Killaloe Women’ and Gerry O’Hanlon, Jesuit.
Kathleen was undoubtedly the ‘star turn’ of the afternoon.
Maybe I am being over-optimistic, but I am greatly encouraged by what I am reading about the first two days of the Synod.
Clearly Francis has created a very different mood and atmosphere from previous Synods. His encouragement to all speakers to speak their truth without fear, or without concern about what people might think of them, or if the Pope might be offended, is a great help. And it seems to me that it is already working.
Dear Cardinal Pell,
In the lead-up to next month’s Extraordinary Synod of Bishops on the Family you and a number of your confreres are re-asserting the church’s longstanding exclusion of divorced and remarried people from communion.
Your foreword to The Gospel of the Family appears to leave us with little doubt: outsiders are not welcome.
