Opinion | Pope Francis should reconsider women’s place in the Catholic Church
Frank Ching believes the reformist Pope Francis will one day lead the church to face up to its unfair exclusion of women as priests
On International Women's Day, on Saturday, the carried an editorial that quoted Pope Francis as saying that "women must have a greater presence in the decision-making areas of the church".
This is good news. The pope, who just marked his first anniversary in office, has been a breath of fresh air, with his humility, his openness and his seeming desire for reform. In 12 months, he has transformed the image of the Catholic Church.
Pope Francis has properly identified the role of women as a key issue. He will, in time, have to grasp the nettle
Perhaps what was most impressive was his response when asked about homosexuals - "Who am I to judge?" He has also said that children being brought up by single mothers should not be denied baptism.
But, aside from saying that women should play a bigger role, he hasn't done that much for them, seemingly confining them to traditional roles, especially motherhood.
In the early days of the church, priests could marry. Then, the custom was changed and priests had to be celibate. Not only could women not be priests, they could not even be married to priests.
Why this denigration of women? In a word, sex.
