How would opening the diaconate to women embolden the church for the Gospel mission given to all of the baptized: to proclaim good news to the poor and justice for the oppressed?

Rogation days can renew in us the desire for intercessory prayer.

The debate about whether the Catholic Church should ordain women to the diaconate often focuses on theological and historical arguments. Rarely, though, do we hear from women who themselves feel called to this ministry.

“I found it sad that the pope has to defend himself,” Gerard O’Connell said this week on Inside the Vatican. “EWTN is based in the United States. Can not the [U.S.] Catholic bishops’ conference defend the pope on this?”

As with much of his pastoral approach overall, the pope’s outreach to L.G.B.T. people can be characterized by the word “accompaniment.”

Faith, justice and unity still matter. So too do prudence, charity and patience. The latter are not chains upon the former. They are channels that direct them to their source in God.