Vatican
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The theological emptiness of the Petrocchi report
Phyllis Zagano’s analysis in America and in Flashes dismantles the Petrocchi Commission’s conclusions on women’s diaconate, showing they rest on no historical, theological, or anthropological documentation.
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Ancient ordination rites for women deacons sit in Vatican
Medieval liturgical manuscripts housed in the Vatican’s own library describe women being ordained to the diaconate during Mass, with the laying on of hands, invocation of the Holy Spirit and the placement of the stole by the bishop. Zagano’s research brings these forgotten rites back into focus.
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Trump raises voice; Vatican lowers heat
One year into his pontificate, Leo XIV has moved beyond cautious silence. During Rubio’s visit, the Vatican deployed no sanctions or threats — the pope used the vocabulary of peace and compelled the American delegation to echo it. Prevost has emerged as a moral voice insisting that moral authority still commands a hearing.
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When clericalism becomes narcissism, the altar turns into a stage
Clerical narcissism perpetuates itself when a newly ordained priest is assigned to a pastor who demands unquestioning obedience, creating successive generations of leaders hostile to collaboration.
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The report Rome buried — and couldn’t keep secret
In 1976, a Vatican commission quietly reached a landmark conclusion on women’s ordination — and Rome quietly buried it. Fifty years later, that suppressed finding is back in focus, raising hard questions about authority, transparency, and what the Church’s own scholars actually said.
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Women cannot image Christ as deacons – Vatican
Pope Francis elevated the Final Synod Document to magisterial teaching, stating that discernment on women deacons must continue and “what comes from the Holy Spirit cannot be stopped.” Yet this new commission report attempts to close discussion entirely.
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