For the first time in the institution’s 2000-year history, women will have a role to play in a Catholic religious gathering at Vatican City.
The Assembly of the Synod of Bishops began on October 4, with more than 350 Bishops, clergy and other “people of God” gathering at the Vatican with Pope Francis to discuss issues and possible reformations for the Catholic church.
Among the 350 participants are 54 nuns, sisters and other women, voting on the final Synod document to be published on October 28, which will outline the assembly’s areas of agreement, disagreement and other issues that need further study or consideration.
On Wednesday, the Synod assembly published an open letter announcing the latest first for women in the Catholic church.
“For the first time, at Pope Francis’ invitation, men and women have been invited, in virtue of their baptism, to sit at the same table to take part, not only in the discussions, but also in the voting process of this Assembly of the Synod of Bishops,” it said.
The letter urged that the church “absolutely needs to listen to everyone”, including the poor, refugees and asylum seekers and women.
This year’s Synod of Bishops saw several other firsts for women, including the first female undersecretary of the Synod office at the Vatican, Sister Nathalie Becquart, and the first woman to preside over a Synod, Sister Maria de los Dolores Valencia Gomez.
In major historic move, Pope Francis has appointed Sr Nathalie Becquart (@SrNatB) as undersecretary to the Synod of Bishops. As an undersecretary, Sr. Nathalie will enjoy the privilege of voting rights at the Synod of Bishops, making her the first woman to do such. pic.twitter.com/gnjYMZXfiZ
— Rich Raho (@RichRaho) February 6, 2021
Over the last month, the Synod Assembly has discussed some of the biggest challenges the Catholic church faces this decade, including participation of LGBTQIA+ Catholics, the impact of clergy sex abuse and the role of women’s ministries in the church. These issues will be addressed in the final document of the assembly.
Recently, despite strongly opposing the idea in the past, Pope Francis created two commissions to study the possibility of female diaconate. This would mean women would be allowed to preach at mass and perform marriages and baptism, however, they would not be allowed to celebrate Eucharist or hear confessions.
Strong opponents to female diaconate argue allowing women to participate this way in the church would eventually lead to permission for women to be ordained as priests.
Archbishop of Perth Timothy Costelloe, an Australian prelate or Bishop representative, has previously shown his support for the ordination of women as deacons and involving women more in the Catholic church.
Costelloe is currently at Vatican City for the Assembly of the Synod of Bishops and, in a letter to his “sisters and brother in Christ” on Monday, he spoke of the openness Pope Francis has shown to everyone at the Assembly.
“The image of the Church as a home and as a place where everyone is welcome has often been on the lips of Pope Francis during the Synod,” Costelloe wrote.
“He keeps insisting that all are welcome in the Church – tutti, tutti, tutti (everyone, everyone, everyone) he says over and over again.”
According to the latest Census, 20 per cent of Australia’s population is Catholic, a figure that has fallen over time.
The 2016 National Church Life Survey found the majority of Catholics in Australia are female, with 62 per cent female and 38 per cent male.