"Vatican newspaper essays: Let women preach at Mass"

sltrib.com

A series of essays in the semiofficial Vatican newspaper is urging the Catholic Church to allow women to preach from the pulpit at Mass, a role that has been reserved almost exclusively to the all-male priesthood for nearly 800 years.

"This topic is a delicate one, but I believe it is urgent that we address it," Enzo Bianchi, leader of an ecumenical religious community in northern Italy and a popular Catholic commentator, wrote in his article in L'Osservatore Romano.

"Certainly for faithful lay people in general, but above all for women, this would constitute a fundamental change in their participation in church life," said Bianchi, who called such a move a "decisive path" for responding to widespread calls — including by Pope Francis — to find ways to give women a greater role in the church.

Two nuns also contributed articles in the March 1 special section that is part of a new L'Osservatore Romano series on women called "Women-Church-World."