An interview with Grace Cotter Regan, the first woman president of BC High
Women in the Church
Posted inPolitics & Society, Short Take
Remembering Margaret Snyder, Catholic feminist pioneer
A prominent figure in United Nations efforts to help women in Africa escape poverty, Margaret Snyder was inspired by her parents and by Catholic mentors from her hometown.
Posted inFaith, Short Take
Pope Francis has increased leadership roles for women in the church. But there’s still work to do.
While much progress still lies ahead, Sister Nathalie Becquart’s appointment as an undersecretary of the Synod of Bishops marks an inflection point for women’s leadership in the Catholic Church.
Posted inFaith, Podcasts
Podcast: One woman can vote in next year’s synod. Others are ‘under consideration.’
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 is under consideration for future synods.
Posted inFaith, Vatican Dispatch
For the first time, Pope Francis appoints a woman with the right to vote as undersecretary of the synod of bishops
Breaking with tradition and opening a new door in the synodal process, Pope Francis has appointed a woman, Sister Nathalie Becquart, as one of two new undersecretaries of the synod of bishops.
Posted inNews, Politics & Society
Trailblazing Black Catholic geneticist wants more Black women to pursue careers in science
“Science has made my faith stronger,” she said. “The DNA structure is amazing. It is beautiful and is evidence of what God can do and has done.”
Posted inFaith, News
German bishops resume meetings to discuss women in the church, LGBT issues and the sexual abuse crisis
Germany’s Catholic bishops will resume discussions this week to plan the Synodal Path, a set of conferences slated to address controversial questions such as women’s roles and LGBT acceptance, even as the country faces yet another scandal of sexual abuse by clergy.
Posted inFaith, Features
St. Ignatius was against women Jesuits. Do his arguments still hold up?
Saint Ignatius was opposed to women Jesuits for reasons that were cultural, practical and canonical, but other Jesuits were not. The question was a hot topic in the early Society.
Posted inExplainer, Faith
Explainer: The history of women lectors and altar servers—and what Pope Francis has changed
Women have served as lectors and acolytes for decades. Now Pope Francis has changed canon law to formally recognize their ministry.
Posted inFaith, News
Pope Francis changes canon law: ministries of acolyte and lector open to women
Recognizing “the gifts of each baptized person”—women and men—Pope Francis ordered a change to canon law and liturgical norms so that women could be formally installed as lectors and acolytes.