Pope Allows Women to Vote at Bishops Meeting
Pope Francis has approved historic changes to the norms governing the Synod of Bishops. This will see women given the right to vote at the next scheduled bishops' meeting for the first time in October this year.
Facts
- Pope Francis has approved historic changes to the norms governing the Synod of Bishops. This will see women given the right to vote at the next scheduled bishops' meeting for the first time in October this year.1
- The Synod, which is the papal advisory body, announced on Wednesday that the new rules will permit five religious sisters voting rights, although men will still cast the majority of the votes. In previous meetings, women were only allowed to attend as observers.2
- The world's bishops have been summoned to Rome by Popes for weeks at a time to debate various topics since the 1960s. Pope Francis has also decided to appoint 70 non-bishop voting members to the Synod as well and has asked for half to be women.3
- The Synod has commonly been attended by approximately 300 people. The 70 priests, religious sisters, deacons, and lay Catholics to be selected by the Pope come from a list of 140 candidates by national bishops' conferences.4
- Kate McElwee, a member of the Women's Ordination Conference, stated that the decision was a "significant crack in the stained glass ceiling," and that the result was due to the "sustained advocacy" by women's groups demanding the right to vote.5
- Regarding the decision, Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich, a senior organizer of the Synod, called the decision "an important change" for the Roman Catholic Church, while affirming that the move was "not a revolution."6
Sources: 1Associated Press, 2BBC News, 3Sky News, 4Reuters, 5NPR Online News, and 6PBS NewsHour.
Narratives
- Left narrative, as provided by Los Angeles Times. The decision reflects the Pope's hope to allow women a greater say in the activities of the Catholic Church. While there is some unease concerning Francis' desire for inclusivity, change is normal in life and in history. Pope Francis has taken the step of doing more than any other predecessor to give women a greater say in the church's decision-making.
- Right narrative, as provided by The Washington Times. Pope Francis' decisions are dangerous, attempting to transform the church into a secular democracy. Power is being snatched away from bishops and the changes are in no way rooted in scripture and tradition. Pope Francis is up to his old tricks again, and there are echoes of liberal socialism in moves like this.
