Church ban on women priests is forever, says Pope

Pope Francis has said he believes the Catholic Church’s ban on women becoming priests is forever and will never be changed.

He was speaking aboard a plane taking him to Rome from Sweden. The freewheeling news conference with reporters has become a tradition of his return flights from foreign trips.

A female Swedish reporter noted that the head of the Lutheran Church who welcomed him in Sweden was a woman, and then asked if he thought the Catholic Church could allow women to be ordained as ministers in coming decades.