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VATICAN CITY – Pope Francis appointed two women to Vatican positions previously held only by men, in back-to-back moves giving women more empowerment in the male-dominated Holy See.
He appointed Nathalie Becquart, a French member of the Xaviere Missionary Sisters, on Saturday as co-undersecretary of the Synod of Bishops, a department that prepares the major meetings of world bishops that are held every few years on a different topic.
The day before, Pope Francis appointed the Italian magistrate Catia Summaria as the first female Promoter of Justice in the Vatican Court of Appeals.
Becquart’s position, effectively a joint number two seat, will give him the right to vote in men’s assemblies, something many women and some bishops have asked for. He is 52 years old, relatively young by Vatican standards.
Women have participated as observers and consultants in previous synods, but only “synod fathers,” including specially appointed or elected bishops and male representatives, could vote on the final documents sent to the Pope.
During a synod in 2018, more than 10,000 people signed a petition demanding that women get the vote.
“A door has been opened. We will see what other steps can be taken in the future, ”Cardinal Mario Grech, general secretary of the synod, told the official Vatican News website.
While upholding the Church’s tradition that prohibits women priests, Pope Francis has established commissions to study the history of women deacons in the early centuries of the Catholic Church, responding to women’s calls for them to be let you take office today.
Last year, in one fell swoop, Pope Francis appointed six women to high-level positions on the council that oversees the Vatican’s finances.
He has also appointed women to the positions of Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, Director of the Vatican Museums and Deputy Director of the Vatican Press Office. – Reuters
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