The Catholic Church’s ban on female priests will stand forever, Pope Francis said on Tuesday. Speaking to a journalist while aboard the papal plane, as the Pope flew back to Rome from Sweden, the pontiff responded to a question on whether the church might see female priests in the coming decade, reports the New York Times.
“Saint Pope John Paul II had the last clear word on this and it stands, this stands,” Francis said, referring to a 1994 document stating that women could never join the priesthood.
“But never?” the reporter asked in a follow-up question.
Francis replied, “If we read carefully the declaration by St John Paul II, it is going in that direction.”
The pope went on to say women did ‘many other things better than men’, emphasising what has been called the ‘feminine dimension of the church’.
The church has always responded to criticism of the ban on women by pointing out that Jesus only chose men as his apostles. Proponents of a change argue, among other points, that the church is facing a shortage of priests.
In Sweden, Francis had been attending a ceremony to commemorate the year leading up to the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation.
