One South African theologian described “a deep sense of disillusionment that the church, on the one hand, is saying we need to be a synodal listening church, and has yet again taken the diaconate for women off the table.”

“If women are doing practically everything that a deacon is doing ... [why] do we want to draw women into clericalism when we are having so many problems with it?”

When public servants when they show us a glimpse of something that points the way toward “more perfect union,” we ought to pay close and grateful attention.

Polls abound, and the political ground keeps shifting, but one thing is sure: South Africa is likely to experience a significant political realignment on May 29.

Russell Pollitt S.J., shares with "Preach" host Ricardo da Silva, S.J., how he uses org charts for homily planning, and how his brother's suicide and presiding over the funeral of a drowned toddler led him to rethink his preaching style and theological framework.

The spokesperson for the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference said that the conference “has taken a slightly different stand from the rest of Africa” on the Vatican declaration “Fiducia Supplicans.”