In a piece published online in America in March, Katie Owens Mulcahy urged the church to “[recognize] the gifts of diaconal women all around us, inviting spirited debate from readers.

Pope Francis and his international Council of Cardinals continued their discussions about the role of women in the church, listening to women experts, including a professor who spoke about how culture impacts women’s roles and status.

The meetings of Pope Francis’ Council of Cardinal Advisors generally do not garner much attention, but since last year’s synod, they have made headlines thanks to a series of presentations organized by Sister Linda Pocher, F.M.A.

History has ignored Joanna, as it has most of the other women who followed Jesus from Galilee to Jerusalem and provided for him and the Twelve “from their resources” (Lk 8:2-3).

The Vatican announced the creation of 10 study groups to focus on themes that arose at last October’s Synod on Synodality, an announcement that prompted mixed reactions: Are the groups “kicking the can down the road” or opening a “new horizon”?

What could be possible if the gifts of diaconal women were empowered through ordination?