Bishop Aliaksandr Yasheuskiy, auxiliary of Minsk, Belarus, recommended that the text should be clarified to note that the comments on the ordination of married men and the ordination of women did not reflect the common opinion of the assembly.
While the majority of the speakers who opted to give their opinions on the text were bishops, several women also addressed the assembly.
Anna Diouf, a young woman representing the Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination against Christians in Europe, asked how the text could underline the important role women play in the Church without mentioning the Blessed Virgin Mary.
The final document
Due to time constraints, delegates were not able to read and reflect on the final document before entering into the debate. Instead, Father Jan Nowotnik read aloud the draft document summarizing and synthesizing the contributions offered by Catholics from across the continent over the past three days.
Secularization, clerical abuse, tensions around the liturgy, and ecumenical dialogue were among the many themes highlighted in the still unpublished draft document, which seeks to provide a European perspective on a synodal Church.
The text mentions that the ordination of women to the diaconate was mentioned as a possibility at the assembly and added: “On the other hand, there is a clear divide in Europe on the ordination of women to priesthood, not only between East and West, but also within the various Western countries.”
The document also mentioned how many European delegates had expressed fear that the Synod on Synodality could result in a “watering down” of Catholic doctrine.
“Some highlighted that in a process like this, there was a risk of submitting to the spirit of the world. These fears were also expressed during our meeting, concern for possible watering down of doctrine or for the use of sociological expressions in working groups was underlined,” it said.
There was no vote on a final text from the first half of the assembly. Instead the assembly organizers asked if anyone had any objections to the draft text being made public.
(Story continues below)
Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich assured the delegates that their comments and suggestions in the morning’s debate will be taken into account in the formation of the final draft.
Beginning on Feb. 10, European bishops will meet privately for three days in Prague for the second half of the assembly to collectively review the document, listen to speeches by the president of each country’s bishops’ conference, and produce their own second final document for the synod’s continental process.
The Prague assembly is one of seven synod continental assemblies occurring across the globe in February and March.
Hollerich noted that he and Cardinal Mario Grech will be traveling to attend continental assemblies in Beirut, Bangkok, and Bogotá, Colombia, in the coming weeks.
Courtney Mares is a Rome Correspondent for Catholic News Agency. A graduate of Harvard University, she has reported from news bureaus on three continents and was awarded the Gardner Fellowship for her work with North Korean refugees.