News
“Priesthood is for men, no plan to change it,” Pope Francis reaffirms
Catholic Pontiff, Pope Francis, has reaffirmed that priesthood is ‘reserved for men’ and cannot be changed to include women
The Pope has consistently reaffirmed the impossibility of female priests in the Catholic Church due to the unchanging nature of doctrine
Pope Francis reaffirmed the Catholic Church’s doctrine that women are not able to receive holy orders.
The pontiff discussed the impossibility of female ordination in a Spanish-language book published in June, titled “El Pastor: Desafíos, razones y reflexiones sobre su pontificado” – or in English, “The Shepherd: Struggles, Reasons, and Thoughts on His Papacy,”
“The fact that the woman does not access ministerial life is not a deprivation, because her place is much more important,” the pontiff said, according to translations from Catholic News Agency.
“I think we err in our catechesis in explaining these things, and ultimately we fall back on an administrative criterion that does not work in the long run.”
“On the other hand, with respect to the charism of women, I want to say very clearly that from my personal experience, they have a great ecclesial intuition,” he added.
The Italian-language version of the book was released this week and brought to public attention Pope Francis’ reaffirmation of male-exclusive priesthood.
Many activists hoped that female ordination – which has been held as inadmissible for debate by the Catholic Church for over a millennium – would be discussed at the Synod on Synodality underway at the Vatican.
The pope emphasized the church’s inability to change doctrine on the subject, but also questioned whether opening the priesthood to women would benefit the clergy.
“Lutherans ordain women, but still few people go to church. Their priests can marry, but despite that they can’t grow the number of ministers. The problem is cultural. We should not be naive and think that programmatic changes will bring us the solution,” Pope Francis said.
He added, “Mere ecclesiastical reforms do not serve to solve underlying issues. Rather, paradigmatic changes are what is needed,”
In 2019, Pope Francis spoke to the International Union of Superiors General of Women saying, “We walk on a solid just path, the way of Revelation, we cannot walk a different road[…] that alters revelation and dogmatic expressions.”
The pope concluded sharply, stating, “We are Catholics, but if any of you want to found another church you are free to go.”
Two Nigerian-born scientists—Adesola Adegoke, a researcher at Arizona State University (ASU), and Seunnla Adelusi, a PhD candidate at the Université de Sherbrooke, Canada—have been named among the 20 global winners of the Digital GreenTalents Award 2025.
These two Nigerians were announced among the winners during a virtual ceremony held on 25 November. In a statement following the virtual announcement ceremony, the organisers said the 20 awardees for this year joined from different time zones, including “very early morning in Canada and evening hours in the Philippines.”
The digital Green Talent Award is an annual initiative of the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) that recognises outstanding young researchers whose work advances sustainability through digital innovation.
Each year, 20 scientists are selected from a competitive global pool for their cutting-edge ideas at the intersection of digitalisation and environmental sustainability.
Alex Otti, the Abia State Governor, on Sunday paid a visit to the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, at the Sokoto Correctional Centre.
The governor was accompanied by officials of the Sokoto State Government during the closed-door visit.
Nnamdi Kanu was recently moved to Sokoto after he was convicted on terrorism-related charges and handed a life sentence by a Federal High Court in Abuja.
Governor Otti had earlier promised to pursue every lawful and political avenue to ensure that Kanu gets justice. Sunday’s visit is seen as part of ongoing efforts by the Abia State Government regarding his case.
Details of the meeting were not made public as of the time of this report.
Armed terrorists have abducted a bride-to-be, her bridesmaid, and eight other residents from Chacho village in Wurno Local Government Area of Sokoto State
The Sokoto abduction occurred around 1:30 a.m., according to residents, when the attackers stormed the village. Most of the victims were women, with only one man also taken.
One resident sustained injuries and is receiving medical treatment. Villagers told reporters that the bride was preparing for her wedding scheduled for later that morning when the raid struck, plunging the community into shock and mourning.
A community member described the attack as “tragic,” noting the delay in security response. “Security operatives were alerted immediately, but they only arrived about an hour after the bandits had fled,” he said, expressing frustration.
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