Women Archives

‘Synodality’ and women’s empowerment go together, leading sisters say

Mar 27, 2021

A top Vatican official, and one of the most celebrated examples of Pope Francis’s commitment to hearing the voices of women, has called the concept of synodality the pope promotes a process of empowerment for the entire Church.

By Elise Ann Allen

Critics charge German ‘synodal path’ exploits suffering of abuse victims

Mar 26, 2021

Critics charge that in the German “synodal path,” the suffering of abuse victims is being weaponized for ideological ends by forces seeking to revive old arguments in Catholicism over power and sex, trying to use the abuse crisis to justify profound changes in Catholic teaching and tradition.

By Inés San Martín

Women in Italy shocked by athlete sued over pregnancy

Mar 17, 2021

A prominent Italian prolife activist has spoken out about the story of Lara Lugli, a volleyball player being sued by her club for an unplanned pregnancy, saying the case is emblematic of a societal disregard for women, particularly those who are mothers.

By Elise Ann Allen

Argentine leader for Catholic women wants ‘Synod of the People of God’

Mar 15, 2021

Argentine María Lía Zervino, President of the World Union of Catholic Women’s Organizations, has penned an open letter to Pope Francis, thanking him for expanding women’s roles during the past eight years as Roman pontiff, while also demanding “a further step.”

By Inés San Martín

Reverberations of pope’s Iraq visit felt after Francis is gone

Mar 10, 2021

Even though Pope Francis has left Iraq, there have been several significant developments in the country that observers are already crediting to the papal visit.

By Elise Ann Allen

On women’s day, panel push for more laity in positions of power at Vatican

Mar 9, 2021

Several prominent Vatican personalities marked International Women’s Day by celebrating the contribution a feminine touch can bring to their work and calling for more space to be created for laypeople in general within the ranks of the Roman Curia.

By Elise Ann Allen

With Iraqi Christians, Pope extols women brutalized by ISIS

Mar 7, 2021

Speaking to a crowd that saw its girls and women sold as property by Islamic State terrorists, and on the eve of International Women’s Day, Pope Francis gave a “heartfelt thank-you to all the mothers and women of this country, women of courage who continue to give life, despite the wrongs and hurts.”

By Inés San Martín

Pope extends outreach to women with halo, home visit

Feb 22, 2021

Days after Pope Francis appointed two women to major Vatican posts, he continued his outreach by announcing the beatification of an Italian suffragette and by visiting an elderly Holocaust survivor.

By Elise Ann Allen