Women Could Have Greater Role in Church, Says Pope

By Deborah Ball
Wall Street Journal
March 5, 2014

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Pope Francis said in an interview with an Italian and an Argentinean newspaper that women could have greater decision-making power in the Catholic church's hierarchy.

ROME—The Vatican could soon make significant changes to the role of women in the church and to the Catholic church's approach to divorcées, said Pope Francis in a sweeping interview with Italian and Argentinean newspapers.

As the anniversary of his election approaches, the Argentinean-born pontiff also sought to rebuff criticisms that he has done too little to respond to the sex abuse scandals that have rocked the church, while he also renewed his criticisms of globalization. At the same time, Pope Francis sought to play down the huge popularity that his papacy has generated, saying that he is "not some sort of superman."

In an extensive interview granted to Italian daily Corriere della Sera and Argentinean newspaper La Nacion, the pope said that women could have greater decision-making power in the church's hierarchy. Some Vatican experts have raised the possibility of the pope's appointing women to senior positions within the Vatican's bureaucracy, perhaps as the head of one of its powerful departments.

But the pope suggested even bigger changes could be in store, with a senior cardinal now consulting women experts in considering possible options. "Women must have a greater presence in the decision-making areas of the church," he said. "But I would call this a 'functional' promotion. That won't take us very far." Some church leaders advocate making women deacons, who are lay members of the church who assist in the Mass, although the pope made no reference to such a possibility in the interview.

Meanwhile, a working group is laying the ground for a major discussion of family issues that will unfold over the next two years, with an important meeting of about 150 bishops to be held in Rome in October. Pope Francis said a reconsideration of the church's approach to divorced Catholics is part of the discussion.

At a meeting last month of the College of Cardinals, a senior German cardinal said in a speech that divorced Catholics could rejoin the fold through the sacrament of confession. In the interview, Pope Francis praised the speech as "very beautiful and profound." The church "must offer an answer" to divorced couples and their families, the pope said.

Pope Francis also cracked open the door to a new approach on the issue of birth control, although he ruled out a major change in doctrine. He referred to the 1968 papal encyclical Humanae Vitae that made clear the church's opposition to birth control, saying the issue "all depends on how Humanae Vitae is interpreted."

"The issue isn't about changing doctrine, but digging deep into the question and making sure that the pastoral approach considers specific situations and considers what is possible for people," he said.

Pope Francis offered one of his boldest responses yet to criticisms that the church hasn't done enough to respond to the child abuse scandals that have shaken the church. Last month, the United Nations issued a report that was highly critical of the Vatican's handling of priests who have abused children, arguing that the church allowed such clerics to escape punishments. Victims' groups have accused Pope Francis—who established a committee charged with developing a more uniform response to the problem—of saying too little about the scandal so far.

"The cases of abuse are terrible because they leave very deep wounds," he said, citing statistics showing that most child abuse is perpetrated in the family or by neighbors. But "the church has done a lot—perhaps more than anyone…. And yet the church is the only one that is attacked."

Pope Francis renewed his criticism of globalization, a theme that has emerged forcefully during his papacy, where he has strongly urged church and lay leaders to focus on the needs of the poor.

"It is true that globalization has saved many people from poverty, but it has also condemned many others to death," he said. At the same time, he rebuffed critics who have banded him a Marxist for his criticism of pro-market economic principles. "I have never shared the Marxist ideology, because it isn't true, but I have known many good people who believed in Marxism," he said.

The pope addressed the historic anomaly that has emerged since last year's resignation of Pope Benedict XVI, with two popes now living at the Vatican. For most of last year, Pope Benedict scarcely appeared in public, but Pope Francis said he encouraged his predecessor to make the surprise appearance last month at the ceremony to elevate 19 new cardinals.

Pope Francis said he has encouraged Pope Benedict, known as pope emeritus, to become more public. "The Pope Emeritus isn't a statue in a museum," he said. "We have decided together that it would be better if he saw people, came out and participated in the life of the church."

Finally, Pope Francis tried to play down the huge popularity he has enjoyed in the past year, which has landed him on magazine covers and even inspired an Italian artist to depict him as Superman on a mural near the Vatican.

"I don't like this mythology of Pope Francis," he said. "It seems offensive to me to depict the pope as some sort of superman or a kind of star. The pope is a man who laughs, cries, sleeps soundly at night and has friends just like anyone else. A normal person."