Italy’s “women’s rights grandma” Lisa Zappitelli recently passed away at the age of 109. She was considered a nationwide icon of the work for women’s and civil rights and President Sergio Mattarella praised her in 2018 as an “example for everyone.” In the Catholic Church, it is more difficult to achieve fame as a women’s rights activist. But the French theologian Nathalie Becquart is well on the way. In a webinar by the World Union of Catholic Women’s Organizations a few days ago, she said that a living church must respond to questions and demands of women and that women must be present in all decision-making bodies. A constant dialogue between the sexes is needed. A synodal church must be at the service of all; this is a great challenge. Pope Francis has long since named this “church women’s rights activist” one of the “sub-secretaries” of the 2023 Synod. Despite the submissive title, she is the first woman to vote at a synod of bishops. That has an inestimable symbolic value. But Pope Francis advises all local churches to try out a synodal path “close to the ground” in the next two years. We hope that this will lead to the result that in 2023 a quite considerable number of women and (non-consecrated) men will receive the right to vote at the Synod at the side of Nathalie Becquart.
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