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Inside the VaticanSeptember 30, 2021
From left to right: Sister Alessandra Smerilli, interim secretary of the Vatican's Dicastery for Integral Human Development; Sister Nathalie Becquart, undersecretary of the Synod of Bishops; and Cristiane Murray, deputy director of the Holy See Press Office. (Photo illustration by Shawn Tripoli)

Women are rising to new heights in the Vatican, but there is still a long way to go before women’s voices and leadership are satisfactorily integrated in the Vatican.

In this deep dive episode based on Colleen Dulle’s cover story in America Magazine’s October issue, Colleen and producer Maggi Van Dorn take a look inside the corporate culture of the Vatican to examine how things have been changing for women—and why it’s difficult to have conversations about women’s empowerment there.

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You’ll also hear from three prominent women working in or with the Vatican: Cristiane Murray of the Holy See Press Office describes her experience over 26 years working in the Curia’s most female office; celebrity economist Kate Raworth gives voice to a new understanding of women’s contributions that Pope Francis seems to have adopted; and Sr. Nathalie Becquart, undersecretary of the synod of bishops, explains why she sees synodality as the way toward recognizing men and women’s God-given equality.

Links from the show:

Women are rising to new heights at the Vatican. Could they change the church forever?

Read America’s women’s month issue

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