For the first time, Pope Francis has given a woman the right to vote at a Synod. Sr. Nathalie Becquart has been appointed undersecretary at the Vatican’s office of the Synod of Bishops. The gesture toward the desired equal rights for women is rather half-hearted. Sr. Nathalie in fact shares the job of undersecretary with Fr. Luis Marín de San Martin who was immediately appointed bishop.
Despite having spoken out time and again against clericalism, Pope Francis in his actions continues to support the clerical hierarchy which marginalizes lay people and women.
Colm Holmes
Chair, We Are Church International
E
M +353 86 606 3636
W www.we-are-church.org
We Are Church International (WAC) founded in Rome in 1996, is a global coalition of national church reform groups. It is committed to the renewal of the Roman Catholic Church based on the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965) and the theological spirit developed from it.
(Picture by Peter Potrowl - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0,