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The meeting with the world’s cardinals, patriarchs and priests, was also called to discuss the apostolic constitution that Pope Francis released in March of 2022 explicitly allowing women to serve as leaders of Vatican departments for the first time. The advocates for women felt it was an injustice that in light of this discussion no women were invited inside for the two days of meetings.
Twenty minutes after the advocates began their peaceful demonstration, they were approached by Italian police who led them to a holding area and confiscated their cell phones, passports, and parasols. After four hours of being detained and after signing scores of documents agreeing to comply with an investigation, the women were finally released, umbrellas and handouts held as evidence.
Kate McElwee, executive director of the Women's Ordination Conference told the press, “There are 226 cardinals representing 1.36 billion Catholics and yet there are zero women involved in this meeting. There are zero women cardinals joining the college of cardinals, and zero women who will be eligible to elect the next Pope. We hope our witness will provoke an awakening of their consciences that there are sisters who are outside who are not included in these conversations.”
Founded in 1996 at the First European Women's Synod in Austria, Women's Ordination Worldwide (WOW) is an ecumenical network of national and international groups whose primary mission at this time is the admission of Roman Catholic women to all ordained ministries. The Women’s Ordination Conference (WOC), founded in 19 75, is the oldest and largest organization “working to ordain women as deacons, priests, and bishops into an inclusive and accountable Roman Catholic Church.”
The Women’s Ordination Conference has also brought us the Comprehensive Catholic Lectionary which Mary of Magdala has been using for our Sunday liturgies. These texts are but a sample of the extensive omissions of Biblical women that have been discovered in the canonical Roman Catholic Lectionary. The Women’s Ordination Conference hopes that this resource “will expand your knowledge and appreciation of women in the Bible and of the potential roles of women in Christian ministry and life.”
My heart goes out to these brave and courageous women who continue to advocate for women, equality, and inclusivity in the Roman Catholic church. May their years of hard work someday bear fruit.
Amen
Picture from National Catholic Register
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