VATICAN CITY (RNS) — After Pope Francis’ death, the study groups he created to address some of the most hot-button issues facing the Catholic Church, including the role of women, polygamy and inclusion of LGBTQ Catholics, received an extension to publish their final reports by the end of the year. And on Monday (Nov. 17), the study groups published a rare update on their work, with some areas showing progress and others facing challenges.
The study groups consisting of experts, clergy and laypeople were established in March 2024, after the Synod on Synodality, a gathering of bishops and lay Catholics at the Vatican to promote a more welcoming and missionary church. Since then, the groups have worked with the Vatican on implementing decisions made at the synod.
The group charged with reflecting on women in the church consisted of members of the Vatican’s department for doctrine. They plan to publish their final report in the coming months, to be divided into three parts: the first an overview of the study group; the second presenting its findings; and finally information gathered about women in church history, current experiences of women in church leadership and the curia, theological reflections, tensions regarding “clericalism and chauvinism” and the contributions of Pope Francis and Pope Leo XIV regarding women’s roles in the church, according to the update.
The group is also charged with studying th …