Loading...
Loading...
Click here if you don’t see subscription options
FaithPodcasts

Podcast: One woman can vote in next year’s synod. Others are ‘under consideration.’

Inside the VaticanFebruary 11, 2021
Xaviere Missionary Sister Nathalie Becquart attends a news conference at the Vatican in this Oct. 9, 2018, file photo. Last May Sister Becquart was one of six consultants appointed by Pope Francis to the general secretariat of the Synod of Bishops. Five of those appointed were women, and it was the first time women had served in that role. (CNS photo/Paul Haring)

For the first time, a woman will have the right to vote in the Synod of Bishops.

Sister Nathalie Becquart, a Xaviere sister, became the first woman to be named undersecretary of the Vatican’s Synod of Bishops, a position previously reserved to bishops. As is customary for the undersecretary, Sister Becquart is expected to be a voting member of the 2022 synod. Until now, women have been barred from voting in synods.

Listen to “Inside the Vatican” on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

This week on “Inside the Vatican,” host Colleen Dulle and Vatican correspondent Gerard O’Connell explain the significance of Sister Becquart’s appointment and what it could mean for future synods. As for whether other women could be able to vote in upcoming synods, Gerry said, “I think we may even see that in the synod on synodality. It is under consideration.”

Colleen and Gerry also discuss Pope Francis’ trip to Iraq, which was confirmed this week, and his address to the world’s ambassadors to the Vatican. The pope described seven global crises that have been worsened by the coronavirus pandemic and said the “crisis of politics” underlies them all.

Links from the show:

Gerard O’Connell | For the first time, Pope Francis appoints a woman with the right to vote as undersecretary of the synod of bishops

Colleen Dulle | Why can’t women vote at the Synod on Young People?

Gerard O’Connell | Pope Francis offers a roadmap for overcoming the pandemic—and the 7 other crises it exposed

Pope Francis: In 2021, vaccines, fraternity and hope are the medicine we need.

Full text of Pope Francis’ address to the diplomatic corps

Inside the Vatican

Inside the Vatican is a podcast that goes behind the headlines of the biggest Vatican news stories with hosts Colleen Dulle and Gerard O’Connell.

Provide feedback on this article

We don’t have comments turned on everywhere anymore. We have recently relaunched the commenting experience at America and are aiming for a more focused commenting experience with better moderation by opening comments on a select number of articles each day.

But we still want your feedback. You can join the conversation about this article with us in social media on Twitter or Facebook, or in one of our Facebook discussion groups for various topics.

Or send us feedback on this article with one of the options below:

We welcome and read all letters to the editor but, due to the volume received, cannot guarantee a response.

In order to be considered for publication, letters should be brief (around 200 words or less) and include the author’s name and geographic location. Letters may be edited for length and clarity.

We open comments only on select articles so that we can provide a focused and well-moderated discussion on interesting topics. If you think this article provides the opportunity for such a discussion, please let us know what you'd like to talk about, or what interesting question you think readers might want to respond to.

If we decide to open comments on this article, we will email you to let you know.

If you have a message for the author, we will do our best to pass it along. Note that if the article is from a wire service such as Catholic News Service, Religion News Service, or the Associated Press, we will not have direct contact information for the author. We cannot guarantee a response from any author.

We welcome any information that will help us improve the factual accuracy of this piece. Thank you.

Please consult our Contact Us page for other options to reach us.

City and state/province, or if outside Canada or the U.S., city and country. 
When you click submit, this article page will reload. You should see a message at the top of the reloaded page confirming that your feedback has been received.

Most popular

1
Pope says the church ‘needs journalists’ to maintain a culture of prevention in response to the abuse crisis
Gerard O’Connell
2
Roger Haight on new ways of thinking about the church
Roger Haight, S.J.
3
All of us have wealth. We just need to notice it.
Simcha Fisher
4
Pope Leo calls for stop to the Israel-Iran war after U.S. bombs Iranian nuclear sites
Gerard O’Connell
5
Cardinal Timothy Radcliffe and the importance of friendship in the spiritual life
James Martin, S.J.

Your source for jobs, books, retreats, and much more.

Director of Worship and Music
Jobs
Teaching Religion to Adolescents – An Online Course
Spiritual Resources
The Journey Continues – Online Supervision for Spiritual Directors
Spiritual Direction
Teaching Religion to Children – An Online Course
Spiritual Resources
A Church of and for the Poor – An Online Course
Spiritual Resources
See all Classifieds

The latest from america

Pope Leo XIV waves to the crowd in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican as they join him for the recitation of the Angelus prayer and an appeal for peace hours after the U.S. bombed nuclear enrichment facilities in Iran on June 22. (CNS photo/Vatican Media)
Pope Leo calls for stop to the Israel-Iran war after U.S. bombs Iranian nuclear sites
“Let diplomacy silence the guns!” Pope Leo XIV told the crowd in St. Peter’s Square a few hours after the United States entered the Iran-Israel war by bombing three of Iran’s nuclear sites.
Gerard O’ConnellJune 22, 2025
Paola Ugaz, a Peruvian journalist who helped expose the abuse committed by leaders of the Sodalitium Christianae Vitae, gives Pope Leo XIV a stole made of alpaca wool during the pope's meeting with members of the media on May 12 in the Paul VI Audience Hall at the Vatican. (CNS photo/Vatican Media)
Pope says the church ‘needs journalists’ to maintain a culture of prevention in response to the abuse crisis
Pope Leo XIV’s statement was read at the premiere of a play about the Peruvian investigative journalist Paola Ugaz, who was subject to death threats because of her reporting on sexual abuse.
Gerard O’ConnellJune 21, 2025
Bishop Micheal Pham, center, leads an inter-faith group as they enter a federal building to be present during immigration hearings on June 20 in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
San Diego clergy visit federal immigration court to bear witness during crackdown on migrants
About a dozen religious leaders from the San Diego area, including Bishop Michael Pham, visited federal immigration court on Friday “to provide some sense of presence.”
Gregory Bull - Associated PressJune 21, 2025
Roger Haight on new ways of thinking about the church
In a time of increasing disaffiliation from and disillusionment with the institutional church, a new theological perspective on the church is needed—one that places Jesus’ own teaching at the center.
Roger Haight, S.J.June 20, 2025