Hannah Ryan | News Editor
According to an article published in The Sunday Times today, Vice-Provost of Trinity College, Linda Hogan, could be on her way to becoming the Catholic church’s first female cardinal.
Following announcements made by Pope Francis that he would like to see a “stronger presence of women in the church”, speculation as to who the first female cardinal could be has been rife within the Catholic media. Rev. James Keenan of Boston College publicised the names of women whom he believed would be “great candidates” for the position, including Professor of Ecumenics in Trinity, Professor Linda Hogan.
Hogan became a fellow of TCD in 2007 and was given the role of Vice-Provost/Chief Academic Officer in 2011. She has studied extensively in the fields of theological ethics, human rights and gender. Were she appointed cardinal, she would have the right to vote in the election of the next pope.
Some obstacles to women acceding to the role still seem to exist. A 1917 revision of the church’s Code of Canon Law declared that only priests and bishops could become cardinals. However it has been suggested that this requirement, that a cardinal first be ordained, could be resolved by appointing women as deacons, a level just below priesthood. Regardless, as one Italian article stated, “The pope is the supreme legislator of the universal church and is absolutely free to make decisions about canon law.”
Professor Hogan has not offered a comment on the rumours.
