Jean-Marie Guenois Le Figaro:
You said that the Church without women loses fecundity. What concrete measures will you take? For instance, a female diaconate or a woman head of a dicastery?
Pope Francis:
A Church without the women is like the Apostolic College without Mary. The role of women in the Church is not only motherhood, mother of the family, but it is stronger: it is, in fact, the icon of the Virgin, of the Madonna; the one who helps the Church to grow!
But think [about this]: the Madonna is more important than the Apostles! She is more important! The Church is female: she is Church, she is spouse, she is mother.
But the woman, in the Church, not only must … I don’t know how you say this in Italian … the woman’s role in the Church must not end only as mother, as worker, limited. No! It’s something else!
But the Popes … Paul VI wrote something very beautiful about women, but I believe that we must go further in the explanation of this role and charism of the woman. You cannot conceive of a Church without women, but [it must be] women active in the Church, with their profile, which they carry forward.
I’m thinking of an example that has nothing to do with the Church, but it’s an historical example: in Latin America, Paraguay. For me, the woman of Paraguay is the most glorious woman of Latin America. (Are you Paraguayan?) After the war, there were eight women for every man and these women made a rather difficult choice: the choice of having children in order to save: the Homeland, the culture, the faith and the language.
In the Church, we must think of women in this perspective: of [making] choices that involve risk, but as women. This has to be explained better. I believe we have still not done a profound theology of woman, in the Church. She can only do this, or that, now she is an altar server, then she does the Reading, she is president of Caritas... But, there is more! We have to make a profound theology of woman. This is what I think.
Anna Ferreira:
I would like to know, why, yesterday, you spoke to the Brazilian Bishops about women’s participation in our Church. I’d like to understand better: how should this participation be for us, women in the Church? If you … what do you think of the ordination of women? What should our position in the Church be?
Pope Francis:
I would like to explain a bit what I said on the participation of women in the Church: it can’t be limited to being altar servers or the president of Caritas, catechists … No! It must be more, but profoundly more! Even mystically more, with what I’ve said about the theology of the woman.
And, with reference to the ordination of women, the Church has spoken and says : “No.” John Paul II said it, but with a definitive formulation. That is closed, that door, but I’d like to say something to you about this. I’ve said it [already], but I [will] repeat it.
The Madonna, Mary, was more important than the Apostles, than bishops and deacons and priests. The woman, in the Church, is more important than bishops and priests; How? That's what we've got to try and explain better, because I believe that we don't have a theological explanation for this.