At a significant international gathering of bishops in October, the Pope will permit women to vote for the first time, a decision that has been hailed as a historic first.
Five religious sisters will now have voting rights at the synod, which serves as the papal consultative body, under the revised regulations published on Wednesday.
In the past, women were only permitted to view the event. The bulk of the votes at the important meeting will still be cast by men. Even so, the Roman Catholic Church, which has been predominately male for centuries, is considered as having undergone a considerable change as a result of the reforms.
Even so, the Roman Catholic Church, which has been predominately male for centuries, is considered as having undergone a considerable change as a result of the reforms.
“For years Vatican representatives and bishops resisted, moving the goalpost with every synod as to why women were not allowed to vote,” the group wrote on Twitter. “The unspoken reason was always sexism.”
“In the near future, we hope that the synod continues to develop into a fully representative body of the people of God.”
The organisation stated on Twitter that “For years Vatican representatives and bishops resisted, moving the goalpost with every synod as to why women were not allowed to vote. The unspoken reason was always sexism.”
We pray that the synod will soon continue to grow into a fully representative assembly of God’s people.
Pope Francis declared that 70 specially chosen non-clergy members of the religious community would also be granted voting rights, breaking yet another convention and making the synod less exclusively a gathering of the Church hierarchy.
The Pope, a reform advocate, has expressed his wish that half of them will be women, and there has also been a focus on involving young people.
A key organiser of the synod, Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich, described the development as “an important change, not a revolution.”
According to BBC World Service’s Newshour programme, Vatican correspondent Christopher Lamb said the revisions were “highly significant” and the Pope’s desire to make decisions regarding the future of the Church more inclusive.
He continued by saying that the changes affecting women were the result of a long-running, “unprecedented” conversation about the issue of female representation.
However, Lamb anticipated that as a result of this most recent choice, the Pope will encounter “significant resistance” from some Church members.
