A resolution calling on Pope John Paul "to revoke the ban on discussion of women's ordination" in the Catholic Church was passed by a large majority at the conference. Delegates also supported a call for the restoration of the diaconate to women in the Catholic Church and for each member organisation of Women's Ordination Worldwide (WOW) "to pursue dialogue with local bishops, religious, priests and laity" on women's ordination.
They voted to encourage women to study for the diaconate and the priesthood; to continue to promote women's ordination; and for an annual world day of prayer on March 25th for women's ordination. It was also decided to hold a world conference "every three to five years".
They called on church ministers to use inclusive language in liturgy, and saluted Ludmila Javorova, a Czech woman priest. She and women deacons were ordained in 1970 by underground Catholic bishops during the Communist era. They asked the Vatican to recognise their orders.
They pledged to create ways of financially supporting those who lost their jobs because of their stand on women's ordination and encouraged such people to publicly "expose the Vatican's actions".
They supported setting up "a rapid response email system by WOW to support the networking of women's ordination groups". And they adopted "the purple stole" as the symbol for women's ordination.
The conference had been told that the purple stole would be worn by women priests in the Church of Ireland during services yesterday in solidarity.
A resolution calling for the "Peter's Pence payment to Rome to be withheld and redirected to organisations supporting women's ordination" narrowly failed to secure the necessary 60 per cent majority.
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