International
Synod approves women’s access to diaconate, calls for greater inclusion in the church
The final document approved by the Synod on Synodality, a major listening project in the Catholic Church initiated by Pope Francis in 2021, opens the door for women to access the diaconate, an ordained ministry similar to that of priests, which allows, among other things, to baptize, bless marriages, and celebrate the liturgy of the Word. Until now, this ministry has been reserved exclusively for men in the Catholic Church.
Paragraph 60 of this document—which is non-binding and merely reflects the majority opinion of the 368 synod fathers and mothers who participated in the synodal assembly over the past three weeks—states that “the question of women’s access to the diaconal ministry remains open.”
“Greater discernment is necessary in this regard,” the text reads. It also calls for “the full application of all opportunities already provided for in current legislation regarding the role of women, particularly in areas that have yet to be explored.” “There is nothing in women that prevents them from assuming leadership roles in the churches: what comes from the Holy Spirit must not be stopped,” the text continues.
Additionally, the document calls for more attention to be paid to “the language and imagery used in preaching, teaching, catechesis, and the drafting of official church documents, giving more space to the contributions of holy women, theologians, and mystics.”
The Vatican also provided a tally of the votes received for each of the 155 paragraphs that make up this document.
Thus, the aforementioned paragraph 60, which discusses the role of women in the Church and states that they continue to encounter “obstacles to obtaining fuller recognition of their charisms, vocation, and place in the various areas of church life,” was validated with 258 votes in favor and 97 against, making it, by far, the most opposed section.
In fact, the remaining paragraphs, which include other concrete proposals to make the Church a more inclusive and less clerical space, found greater consensus, as only two other proposals faced opposition of more than 40 votes against.
One of these is paragraph 125, which proposes that Episcopal Conferences may have a theological and legal statute, as well as further defining their doctrinal and disciplinary competencies without jeopardizing “the unity and catholicity of the Church.”
Specifically, it notes that this competency “can favor the authentic teaching of the one faith in a contextually appropriate manner, identifying liturgical, catechetical, and disciplinary expressions.”
Paragraph 148 has also faced opposition—it emphasizes the need for the discernment and formation processes for candidates for the priesthood to be configured in a synodal style with greater female presence in the selection process—this proposal was supported by 315 votes in favor and 40 against.
In particular, it calls for a “significant presence of female figures” in the selection process of seminarians, as well as “in the daily life of communities and education to collaborate with all in the Church and practice ecclesial discernment.”
The final document also greenlights the creation of “ministries” specifically for laypeople, which would not necessarily have to be linked to the liturgical sphere. This possibility was already opened by the Second Vatican Council and illustrated in recent years through the establishment of the ministries of catechist, lector, and acolyte.
International
ACLU seeks emergency court order to stop venezuelan deportations under Wartime Law
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) on Friday asked two federal judges to block the U.S. government under President Donald Trump from deporting any Venezuelan nationals detained in North Texas under a rarely used 18th-century wartime law, arguing that immigration officials appear to be moving forward with deportations despite Supreme Court-imposed limitations.
The ACLU has already filed lawsuits to stop the deportation of two Venezuelan men held at the Bluebonnet Detention Center, challenging the application of the Alien Enemies Act of 1798. The organization is now seeking a broader court order that would prevent the deportation of any immigrant in the region under that law.
In an emergency filing early Friday, the ACLU warned that immigration authorities were accusing other Venezuelan detainees of being members of the Tren de Aragua, a transnational criminal gang. These accusations, the ACLU argues, are being used to justify deportations under the wartime statute.
The Alien Enemies Act has only been invoked three times in U.S. history — most notably during World War II to detain Japanese-American civilians in internment camps. The Trump administration has claimed the law allows them to swiftly remove individuals identified as gang members, regardless of their immigration status.
The ACLU, together with Democracy Forward, filed legal actions aiming to suspend all deportations carried out under the law. Although the U.S. Supreme Court recently allowed deportations to resume, it unanimously ruled that they could only proceed if detainees are given a chance to present their cases in court and are granted “a reasonable amount of time” to challenge their pending removal.
International
Dominican ‘False Hero’ Arrested for Faking Role in Nightclub Collapse That Killed 231
A man identified as Rafael Rosario Mota falsely claimed to have rescued 12 people from the collapse of the Jet Set nightclub in Santo Domingo—a tragedy that left 231 people dead—but he was never at the scene.
Intelligence agents in the Dominican Republic arrested the 32-year-old man for pretending to be a hero who saved lives during the catastrophic incident, authorities announced.
Rosario Mota had been charging for media interviews in which he falsely claimed to have pulled survivors from the rubble after the nightclub’s roof collapsed in the early hours of April 8, during a concert by merengue singer Rubby Pérez, who was among those killed.
“He was never at the scene of the tragedy,” the police stated. The arrest took place just after he finished another interview on a digital platform, where he repeated his fabricated story in exchange for money as part of a “media tour” filled with manipulated information and invented testimonies.
“False hero!” read a message shared on the police force’s Instagram account alongside a short video of the suspect, in which he apologized: “I did it because I was paid. I ask forgiveness from the public and the authorities.”
Central America
Nicaraguan Exiles to Mark 7th Anniversary of 2018 Protests with Global Commemorations
The Nicaraguan opposition in exile announced on Thursday that it will commemorate the seventh anniversary of the April 2018 protests against the government of President Daniel Ortega and his wife, Rosario Murillo, with events in Costa Rica, the United States, and several European countries.
The commemorative activities—which will call for justice for the victims, as well as freedom and democracy for Nicaragua—will include religious services, public forums, cultural fairs, and other public gatherings, according to official announcements.
In April 2018, thousands of Nicaraguans took to the streets to protest controversial reforms to the social security system. The government’s violent response quickly turned the demonstrations into a broader call for the resignation of President Ortega, who is now 79 and has been in power since 2007.
The protests resulted in at least 355 deaths, according to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), although Nicaraguan organizations claim the toll is as high as 684. Ortega has acknowledged “more than 300” deaths and maintains the unrest was an attempted coup d’état.
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UN complaint filed against Costa Rica over detention of migrant children
Dominican ‘False Hero’ Arrested for Faking Role in Nightclub Collapse That Killed 231
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