Kentucky woman ordained as priest in defiance of Roman Catholic Church

In an emotional ceremony filled with tears and applause, a 70-year-old Kentucky woman was ordained a priest on Saturday as part of a dissident group operating outside of official Roman Catholic Church authority. Rosemarie Smead is one of about 150 women around the world who have decided not to wait for the Roman Catholic Church [...]

Pope: Women fundamentally important to Catholic Church

Pope Francis stressed the fundamental importance of women in the Catholic Church yesterday, a message hailed as a significant shift from the position of his predecessor Benedict. Supporters of liberal reform of the Church have called on it to give a greater voice to women and recognise their importance to the largest religious denomination in [...]

Pakistan: Life is getting worse for women, says report

An upsurge in militancy and poor governance are major factors behind increased violence against women and a growing gender imbalance in the country, according to a report on women’s rights in Pakistan. The report, “Obstructing Progress: Growing Talibanization and Poor Governance in Pakistan” was released on Monday by Shirkat Gah, a women’s resource center based [...]

Women march for US troop clearout

Women’s groups called for the expulsion of US troops from the country in a series of protest marches to mark International Women’s Day on Friday. At least two people were injured as members of the Gabriela women’s group clashed with riot police outside the US embassy in Manila shortly before noon. Last December, the US [...]

Vatican resists new UN move to protect women

The Vatican, Iran and other religious states are resisting efforts by a UN conference, which started Monday, to demand tougher global standards to prevent violence against women and children. More than 6,000 non-government groups are registered at the annual UN Commission on the Status of Women, one of the biggest events held at the UN headquarters, which regularly turns [...]

Catholic Church in Germany allows morning-after pill in rape cases

Germany’s Roman Catholic Church said on Thursday it had decided to permit certain types of “morning-after pill” for women who have been raped, after two Catholic hospitals provoked an outcry last month for refusing to treat a rape victim. The German Bishops’ Conference said church-run hospitals would now ensure proper medical, psychological and emotional care [...]

Protesters in India demand death for rapists

Scores of protesters gathered near India’s Parliament on Tuesday demanding the death penalty for six men accused of the fatal gang rape of a young woman in New Delhi last month. The protesters carried placards saying: “Give us Justice, Hang the Rapists,” and shouted slogans before conducting a mock hanging of the men who are [...]

Women’s ordination – the elephant in the room

To be expelled from friendship circles and driven away from the sources of life is a death sentence. Few people know this better than India’s Dalits, or Untouchables, who are considered the most polluted and polluting of peoples.  Almost 80 percent of Indian Christians have Dalit backgrounds. Many of them are martyrs for the faith, [...]

India: Schools launch self-defense lessons for girls

An alarming number of violent attacks on women in Madhya Pradesh has prompted schools and colleges in the state to begin self-defense classes for female students. Girls must be able to protect themselves in any emergency situation when immediate help from others might not be available, said JN Kansotiya, the state’s principal secretary for higher [...]

India: Priest accused of student sex attack

An Indian court remanded a Catholic priest in police custody after he was accused of molesting and attempting to rape a female student in the western city of Pune. Salesian Father Igidius Falcao, 61, appeared before the local court in Pune on Tuesday morning. He is being charged under various criminal sections for outraging the [...]

Philippine birth control law takes effect

A controversial birth control law came into effect in the Philippines Thursday after more than a decade of bitter opposition from the influential Catholic church, with women saying the change came as a relief. The government is still threshing out how to implement the law, which proponents say will help moderate the nation’s rapid population [...]

India: Attackers tried to run over Delhi rape victim

A gang of rapists who assaulted and murdered a woman on a bus in New Delhi last month tried to run her over with the vehicle after the attack, reports said today, citing a grisly police account of the incident. Her boyfriend, who was beaten up and thrown off the bus after the girl had [...]

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