U.S. Bishops Widen Door Slightly on Role for Women
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WASHINGTON — U.S. Roman Catholic bishops today released the first draft of a pastoral letter on women that breaks little new ground on women’s role in the church but does condemn sexism and urges priests to be more sensitive to women’s concerns.
The 164-page document recommends that women play more of a leadership role in the church and suggests further study of the possibility of installing women as permanent deacons.
It also said girls should be allowed to join altar boys in assisting priests, saying that exclusion of girls seems “to stand in contradiction to our call for women’s more direct involvement in the life of the church.”
However, the bishops stopped short of recommending that women be ordained as priests.
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