VATICAN: Pope Benedict has indicated that women might be allowed to have positions of greater responsibility in the ministry of the Catholic Church but reaffirmed that they could not become priests.
The Pope's comments were found in a transcript issued by the Vatican yesterday, a day after he made them in a closed-door meeting with priests from the Rome diocese.
During the meeting, which took the form of a question-and-answer session, a priest asked why the church could not let women have more "governing" roles.
In the concluding part of his answer, the Pope said: "Nevertheless, it is right to ask oneself if more space, more positions of responsibility, can be given to women, even in the ministerial services . . ."
The Pope did not elaborate on types of positions women could hold in the church or in its governance.
Women's groups have for years been asking for more positions of responsibility in the Vatican departments, where nearly all positions of power are held by men.
But the Pope made it clear that there could be no change in the church's ban on women priests. The late Pope John Paul was adamant on the issue, saying the church did not have and never would have the authority to change the rule against women priests.
In his response the Pope listed well-known women, including Mother Teresa of Calcutta and several women saints, who he said had served the church with distinction.