Urging Justice for Women, WOW Welcomes Pope Leo XIV - 09 May 2025

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Press Release
For Immediate Release
Women’s Ordination Worldwide
09 May 2025
Rome, Italy

Women’s Ordination Worldwide congratulates Pope Leo on his election as pope.

We take hope in that like his predecessor Pope Francis,  Leo  expresses solidarity with the poor  and marginalized.  We welcome his call for bridge building, and peace in the Church and the world.  His message brings to memory the wisdom of Pope Paul VI who taught that without justice there can be no peace. 

We express concern for the emergence of a possible abuse cover up or inaction.  This is now a familiar story for Catholics and we hope that the claims can be fully investigated.

In the Synod on Synodality, clear and unequivocal cries from every corner of the earth were made pleading  for justice for women in the Church. 

We hope that  Leo’s solidarity with the marginalised will include more than half  the world’s Catholics – women –  who continue to be unjustly excluded from Church leadership and sacramental ministry.

In his conviction for peace, we hope that his leadership will include work for  justice for women in both the Church and the world. This will mean more than extending  charitable hands of compassion to women.

Justice will involve dialogue, encounter, listening, bridge building, courage, and the work to lift boulders of discrimination that continue to block the way for inclusion of women as full, unquestioned equals  and protagonists in their own right in all realms of the Church.  It is the same baptism, the same Spirit, and the same God who calls for us all.  Justice in the Church will mean ending centuries old indefensible discrimination against women in both sacrament and  leadership. Justice for women in the world will include many things including  acknowledgement that the Church’s male domination signals to the world endorsement of women’s second class status for women all over the world whether they are Catholic or not.

If our Church follows Christ, it is both a sin and a scandal that discrimination against women persists. We pray that his leadership will be a beacon for peace and justice for women in the Church and around the world.

Habemus papam.

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Contacts:

Women’s Ordination Worldwide

Founded in 1996, WOW is an international network of groups whose current mission is the inclusion of Roman Catholic women in all ordained ministries.

Founded on the principle of equality, WOW opposes all discrimination.
'There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

Galatians 3:28

Who is WOW?

Women’s Ordination Worldwide (WOW) is an international leader in creative, prayerful action.  We bring visibility to the need for equality of women in the Roman Catholic Church.  

An international network, WOW draws national and international groups together in common cause to end global discrimination against women in the Church.

WOW now includes nearly 20 reform minded member groups from Australia, Austria, Canada, Colombia, France, Germany, Great Britain, India, Ireland, Portugal, and USA.

WOW is:

  • The Future: Working to make real a Catholic Church that includes women in all realms of leadership including ordained priesthood

  • Active: media voices, international vigils, globally connecting, raising awareness, moving forward, being the change

  • Spiritual: women's liturgies, vigils, leadership in prayerful action

  • Promoting: new found respect in the Church for women's gifts and presence and leadership ... and as a consequence, building new respect for the Church

WOW’s Facebook Page is moderated
to protect space
for respectful dialogue, community, education, prayer, and information

Pink Smoke Ruffles Vatican Feathers 08 May 2025

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Press Release
For Immediate Release
Women’s Ordination Worldwide
08 May 2025
Rome, Italy

Just hours before 133 Cardinals sequestered themselves in an all-male lockdown to decide on a new Pope, advocates for women’s ordination released pink smoke over the Vatican to call for women’s full equality in the Catholic church. Global advocates gathered in front of rows of world press eager to hear our appeal for the leaders of the church to recognise the sin of sexism that maintains women’s second class and subservient status.

News organisations from around the world gather to witness WOW’s pink smoke signals

Pink smoke distress signal seen by Cardinals clearly ruffled Vatican feathers

As WOW members later joined thousands of people watching the famous chimney for smoke, police surrounded and detained six of them for nearly two hours. Admitting that the Vatican had identified the group as a ‘security threat’, the police were instructed to look out for, remove and ban WOW members coming close to St Peter’s Square for the remainder of the Conclave. 

This is a stark reminder again that ordained men of the Church view women’s equality as a threat to their sense of privilege and elevated status.  The pursuit and banishment of these women betrays diminished comprehension of Jesus's call for  equality. Continuing to model male domination of women to the world as though willed by God and part of a just and ‘natural order’ is wrong. We know it. They know it. And the world knows it, too.

Church  history shows how wrongs the Vatican once held up as right were overcome through advocacy. We  know that eventually long held ‘justifications’ for evils like slavery and opposition to human rights  were finally  crushed.  But we anguish that for women, resistance to change must still be hard fought.  Inevitably justice for women and the Church will come.   If the Church is concerned about larger issues of oppression, violence to women all over the world, it must begin with affirming women’s equality in every space of the Church.  The Church must begin to genuinely walk with women especially those who discern a sincere call to priesthood. 

Representatives include members of:

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Contacts:

Women’s Ordination Worldwide (WOW)

Founded in 1996, WOW is an international network of groups whose current mission is the inclusion of Roman Catholic women in all ordained ministries.

Founded on the principle of equality, WOW opposes all discrimination.
'There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
Galatians 3:28

Who is WOW?

Women’s Ordination Worldwide (WOW) is an international leader in creative, prayerful action.  We bring visibility to the need for equality of women in the Roman Catholic Church.  

An international network, WOW draws national and international groups together in common cause to end global discrimination against women in the Church.

WOW now includes nearly 20 reform minded member groups from Australia, Austria, Canada, Colombia, France, Germany, Great Britain, India, Ireland, Portugal, and USA.

WOW is:

  • The Future: Working to make real a Catholic Church that includes women in all realms of leadership including ordained priesthood

  • Active: media voices, international vigils, globally connecting, raising awareness, moving forward, being the change

  • Spiritual: women's liturgies, vigils, leadership in prayerful action

  • Promoting: new found respect in the Church for women's gifts and presence and leadership ... and as a consequence, building new respect for the Church

WOW’s Facebook Page is moderated
to protect space
for respectful dialogue, community, education, prayer, and information

Pink Smoke for Women's Equality As Conclave Begins 07 May 2025

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Press Release
For Immediate Release
07 May 2025
ROME, ITALY

As a group of 133 ordained men gather behind closed doors to make a consequential decision about the future of the Catholic church, advocates for women’s ordination released pink smoke over the Vatican to call for women’s full equality in the Catholic church.

Echoing the iconic white and black smoke released from the Sistine Chapel during the male-only conclave, the pink smoke sends a clear message: a woman’s place is in the conclave.

With song, prayer, and billows of pink smoke, global advocates called for the cardinals to heed the voices, vocations, and longing of women of the Catholic church who are denied ordination,  leadership and decision-making roles.

Our pink smoke is also a distress call that the cardinals cannot ignore: women’s equality cannot wait. The church has lost generations of women who endured the pain and humiliation of having to prove the validity of their calling and the value of their ministry

Pope Francis inspired a spirit of dialogue and great inclusion for women in the life of the church, yet that work remains painfully incomplete. Our prayer for the next pontiff is that he will courageously embrace synodality and correct the injustice of women’s exclusion from ordained ministry.

Representatives include members of:

  • Women’s Ordination Worldwide (WOW),  a network of national and international organizations working to end global discrimination against women in the church. WOW delegates represent Australia, Austria, Canada, Colombia, France, Germany, Great Britain, India, Ireland, Portugal, Poland and USA.

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Contacts:

Women’s Ordination Worldwide

Founded in 1996, WOW is an international network of groups whose current mission is the inclusion of Roman Catholic women in all ordained ministries.

Founded on the principle of equality, WOW opposes all discrimination.

'There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. Galatians 3:28

Who Is WOW?

Women’s Ordination Worldwide (WOW) is an international leader in creative, prayerful action.  We bring visibility to the need for equality of women in the Roman Catholic Church.

An international network, WOW draws national and international groups together in common cause to end global discrimination against women in the Church.

WOW now includes nearly 20 reform minded member groups from Australia, Austria, Canada, Colombia, France, Germany, Great Britain, India, Ireland, Portugal, and USA.

WOW Is:

  • The Future: Working to make real a Catholic Church that includes women in all realms of leadership including ordained priesthood

  • Active: media voices, international vigils, globally connecting, raising awareness, moving forward, being the change

  • Spiritual: women's liturgies, vigils, leadership in prayerful action

  • Promoting: new found respect in the Church for women's gifts and presence and leadership ... and as a consequence, building new respect for the Church

WOW’s Facebook Page is moderated

to protect space

for respectful dialogue, community, education, prayer, and information.

Women's Ordination Campaigners Appeal to Cardinal Electors Ahead of Conclave 05 May 2025

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Please join us as WOW members gather in Rome to pray for the Cardinals who will elect a new Pope — that they may be inspired to choose a man brave enough to welcome women to join them.

WOW will then send a signal to the Cardinals before they enter their male only lock down to remind them that they cannot keep ignoring 50% of the Church they claim to lead.

Lay Led Liturgy on the Eve of the Conclave

Pink Smoke Action: A Woman’s Place Is in the Conclave

  • Wednesday, May 7th at 13.30 (CET)

  • Piazza Garibaldi, Gianicolo Hill (overlooking St Peter’s)

Contacts:

Women’s Ordination Worldwide (WOW)

Founded in 1996, WOW is an international network of groups whose current mission is the inclusion of Roman Catholic women in all ordained ministries.

Founded on the principle of equality, WOW opposes all discrimination.

'There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
Galatians 3:28

Who is WOW?

Women’s Ordination Worldwide (WOW) is an international leader in creative, prayerful action.  We bring visibility to the need for equality of women in the Roman Catholic Church.

An international network, WOW draws national and international groups together in common cause to end global discrimination against women in the Church.

WOW now includes nearly 20 reform minded member groups from Australia, Austria, Canada, Colombia, France, Germany, Great Britain, India, Ireland, Portugal, and USA.

WOW is:

  • The Future: Working to make real a Catholic Church that includes women in all realms of leadership including ordained priesthood

  • Active: media voices, international vigils, globally connecting, raising awareness, moving forward, being the change

  • Spiritual: women's liturgies, vigils, leadership in prayerful action

  • Promoting: new found respect in the Church for women's gifts and presence and leadership ... and as a consequence, building new respect for the Church

Our Facebook Page is moderated to protect space for respectful dialogue, community, education, prayer, and information.

Women’s Ordination Worldwide (WOW) reacts to the death of Pope Francis 25 April 2025

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Women’s Ordination Worldwide mourns the passing of Pope Francis on April 21, 2025. His leadership challenged the church to be a more open and loving place and to show mercy and empathy for the most marginalized in society.

On behalf of Catholic women around the world, we express gratitude to Pope Francis for ending the culture of silence around the question of women called to ministry and leadership in the Church. Although he personally expressed reluctance to ordain women as deacons and priests, the Synodal process of listening that he initiated, enabled ordinary Catholics all over the world to express their overwhelming desire to see women recognised officially for the ministering work they do in every parish.

WOW recognizes that Pope Francis took steps to reform church laws and practices to allow more women to serve in administrative and managerial positions, previously reserved only for ordained men. We celebrate that women were allowed to vote for the first time at the Vatican during Francis’ pontificate. 

Our great hope is that the next Pope will feel called and compelled to continue the process of listening and changing that Pope Francis left unfinished. While he championed the marginalized of the world, in his own church, women continue to be on the sidelines of decision-making and dismissed from the possibility of answering their sincere calls to ordained ministry. The second-class status of women in the Roman Catholic Church is not just a painful reality for Catholic women, but a crisis for a church that seeks to follow the example of Jesus, who welcomed all to the table. We look forward to engaging with the next leader of our Church to ensure that women will not be sidelined and dismissed.

“Francis was clearly struck by the gender imbalance he witnessed within the Vatican and in the latter years of his papacy added a small number of women to select positions of influence. But he failed to act on what would have been a basic step towards global equality within the Church: recognising and reinstating women as deacons.” Dr Luca Badini Confalonieri, Wijngaards Institute for Catholic Research

‘Pope Francis was a leader who courageously modeled a synodal Church rooted in dialogue, humility, and accompaniment. His vision opened pathways for greater inclusion and listening within the Catholic Church. Yet, we grieve that he did not fully embrace the call of women to the priesthood—a call that continues to rise with urgency and clarity.’ Jennifer O’Malley, RCWP

‘Pope Francis was considered by some - ie in my native Poland -as progressive and in other places - like in Belgium - he was strongly criticised for his negative stance on women’s ordination. He tried to make the Church more synodal, yet he dismissed the possibility of ordaining women deacons and never opened a discussion about women's vocations to serve as presbyters.’ Alicja Baranowska, Poland/Belgium

‘Pope Francis’ repeated “closed door” policy on women’s ordination was painfully incongruous with his otherwise pastoral nature, and for many, a betrayal of the synodal, listening church he championed. This made him a complicated, frustrating, and sometimes heart-breaking figure for many women.’ Kate McElwee, Women’s Ordination Conference

‘It is deeply regrettable that Pope Francis’ revolutionary thinking did not extend to women, especially those seeking sacramental ordination in the Catholic Church. Women called to priesthood, or the diaconate feel real pain. That Francis did not appear to recognise this, or to alleviate it, remains a source of profound sadness for us and for our sister movements.’ Pat Brown, Catholic Women’s Ordination

‘The continued practice of barring women from ordained ministries and from decision-making affecting women’s lives, contradicts church teaching on the equality of all members given in baptism. While Pope Francis critiqued a ‘culture of clericalism’ among clergy, he too appeared caught by the trap of historic and systemic sexism that pervades the institutional Church’ Dr Susan Roll, Catholic Network for Women’s Equality 

Contacts: 

Kate McElwee - +39 393 692 2100 kmcelwee@womensordination.org

Miriam Duignan +44 7970 926910 miriam.duignan@wijngaardsinstitute.com

Media Advisory: Ordain Women, Yes We Can!

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For Immediate Release: September 28, 2024

Women’s Ordination Worldwide returns to Rome to appeal to Pope Francis & Synod delegates

Women’s Ordination Worldwide (WOW), in collaboration with the Women’s Ordination Conference (WOC), is excited to announce a series of events to take place in Rome during the October 2024 Synod of Bishops. 

These events aim to raise global awareness and advocate for the full inclusion of women in the Roman Catholic Church, particularly through priestly ordination. As the Vatican convenes the second session of the Synodal Congress, WOW remains steadfast in its call for the renewal of oppressive systems, and the opening of all doors for the vocations of women to be fully recognized, celebrated, and honored within the sacramental life of the Church.

Through these creative actions, WOW’s global members will stand as a visible, prayerful, and determined witness to the Church’s urgent need for reform.

Key Events in Rome:

  • Tuesday, 1st October - 3 pm 

The synthesis report from the first session of the synod writes: In Christ, women and men are clothed with the same baptismal dignity (Gal 3:28) and receive equally the variety of gifts of the Spirit. We are called together into a communion of loving, non-competitive relationships in Christ, and to a co-responsibility to be expressed at every level of the Church’s life.  

Inspired by these themes, we will host a prayer vigil on the eve of the Synod, reflecting on women’s baptismal equality. Featuring the testimonies of women worldwide, we will share stories of vocation, hope, and deep prayer for a church that fully expresses women’s co-responsibility at every level. 

  • Wednesday, October 2nd 8 a.m. - 9 a.m.

    • “Women Can Be Priests” witness and prayer

    • Activists will gather along Lungotevere Castello, angolo Largo dei Mutilati Ed Invalidi di Guerra

On the opening day of the Synod, advocates for women’s ordination will witness in a colorful and creative way to remind the Vatican that women’s contributions can no longer be dismissed or delayed. Through art, action, and community, we will embody the spirit of hope and equality.

  • Friday, 4th October - afternoon

    • “Why not me?” Action and Greeting of Synod Delegates

Women’s Ordination Worldwide, Women’s Ordination Conference, Catholic Women’s Council and other supporters will gather prayerfully  to witness with a simple yet powerful question for participants in the Synod: "Why not me?" Our witness carries the hopes of so many women who long to fulfill their call to ordained ministry. We ask the church to confront the inadequacy and injustice of its prohibition of women’s ordination, and take seriously the gifts, vocations, and baptismal equality of women in the church. We have invited delegates of the synod to stand in solidarity with us. 

  • October 2-26, at 7 PM (Rome time), WOW members will gather in solidarity and prayer outside St. Peter’s with baptismal candles, symbolizing our collective commitment to the renewal of the Church. This nightly vigil invites Catholics everywhere to light candles in their own homes and parishes, standing with us in prayer for a more inclusive and collaborative Church.

For more information, please contact:

Kate McElwee
Women’s Ordination Conference
Phone: +39 393 692 2100 or +1 607-725-1364
Email: kmcelwee@womensordination.org 

Miriam Duignan
Wijngaards Institute for Catholic Research
Phone: +44 7970 926910
Email: miriam.duignan@wijngaardsinstitute.com

Background: 

Founded in 1996 at the First European Women's Synod in Austria, Women's Ordination Worldwide (WOW) is an ecumenical network of national and international groups whose primary mission at this time is the admission of Roman Catholic women to all ordained ministries. Member groups of WOW that will be present in Rome include: 

Catholic Network for Women’s Equality (Canada)

Catholic Women’s Ordination (UK)

Women’s Ordination Conference (USA)

Wijngaards Institute for Catholic Research (Global)

Roman Catholic Women Priests (Global)

As well as individual members from India and Poland.

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Women’s Ordination Advocates March to the Vatican asking: Pope Francis, How Long Must Women Wait for Equality? 05 October 2023

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Women’s Ordination Advocates March to the Vatican asking: Pope Francis, How Long Must Women Wait for Equality?

05 October 2023
For Immediate Release
Rome, Italy

On October 6, the Women’s Ordination Worldwide (WOW) will lead a procession through Rome toward the Vatican calling upon the Catholic Church to open all ordained ministries to women.

Activists from around the world will assemble on the steps of the Roman church that contains a relic of Saint Mary Magdalene’s foot. The inscription by the reliquary reminds us that her’s was ‘the first foot to be entered into the tomb of the risen Christ.’ Recognised by the Vatican as the ‘Apostle to the Apostles’, Mary Magdalene is the model of priesthood for women, empowered by Jesus to 'go and tell’ his followers the Good News of his Resurrection. The women of WOW walk in her footsteps, urging the church to listen to the voices of women calling out for equality’.

In the spirit of Pope Francis’ ongoing Synod on Synodality, a meeting to discern and attend to the needs of the church today, the demonstration will make visible the injustice of women’s exclusion from full participation in the life of the church.

If the church is truly listening, it must walk with women—especially those who have discerned a sincere call to priesthood— throughout the synodal process and recognize the vibrant and necessary gifts they bring to the church. If the church is to attend to larger issues of oppression, violence, and injustice in the world, it must begin with affirming women’s equality.

When: Friday, October 6th. Activists will gather at 2.30pm and begin to march at 3pm.

Where: Route begins at San Giovanni dei Fiorentini (Via Acciaioli, 2). We will proceed to Lungotevere Castello (where we have a permit to demonstrate) and some will attempt to process toward St. Peter’s Square, risking police interference.

What: “Walk with Women” is a witness organized by Women’s Ordination Worldwide, calling the institutional Catholic church to walk with women as equals and open all ordained ministries to people of all genders.

Who: Founded in 1996, Women’s Ordination Worldwide (WOW) is an international network of organizations and groups whose mission is the inclusion of Roman Catholic women in all ordained ministries. Founded on the principle of equality, WOW opposes all discrimination. ‘There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.’(Galatians 3:28)

Press Contacts:

Kate McElwee
+ 1 607 725 1364
or + 39 393 692 2100
kmcelwee@womensordination.org

Miriam Duignan
+ 44 7970 926910
miriam.duignan@wijngaardsinstitute.com

Background: Women’s Ordination Worldwide has actively and faithfully engaged with the discernment of the Synod, encouraging broad and hope filled participation by women in the process, despite the Vatican’s minimal credibility in truly listening to the voices, vocations, and concerns of women.  Yet against these odds, synod reports from all corners of the church have lifted up the call for women’s ordination, both as a pastoral need and as a matter of justice.  WOW is hopeful that the inclusion of women in ordained ministry is clearly high on the agenda, and prays that the Holy Spirit is not constrained by misogyny, clericalism, or fear.

Women's Ordination Worldwide (WOW): Founded in 1996, WOW is an international network of groups whose current mission is the inclusion of Roman Catholic women in all ordained ministries. Founded on the principle of equality, WOW opposes all discrimination. 'There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus'. (Galatians 3:28)

WOW currently  includes representatives from Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Belgium, Canada, Colombia, France, Germany, Great Britain, India, Ireland, Poland, Portugal, South Africa,  and the United States.

Campaigners mark the start of the Synod with women-led liturgy in Catholic Basilica and demonstration outside the Vatican 04 October 2023

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Campaigners mark the start of the Synod with women-led liturgy in Catholic Basilica and Demonstrating Outside the Vatican

Press Release
For Immediate Release
Rome, Italy

Today marks the beginning of an unprecedented four-week long Synod where bishops and lay people will discuss the formerly taboo issue of women’s ordination and the need for women’s full participation in the life of the church. For the first time ever, Catholic women will be able to vote alongside men in an attempt to respond to the needs of the church today.

On October 3rd, the eve of the synod, Women’s Ordination Worldwide, an international group that advocates for the opening of all ordained ministries to women, gathered in the Catholic Basilica of St. Praxedes in Rome to pray for the radical inclusion of women in the church. Through personal testimonies, prayer, and preaching, women spoke of the heartbreak and  injustice of being barred from ministry on account of their gender.   (Link here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Dy3Lm56Qow)

As Pope Francis’ Synod on Synodality opened at the Vatican this morning, nearly forty women from across four continents opened a large purple banner with the message, “Ordain Women,” in the shadows of the Vatican. A symbolic reference to the synod’s preparatory document urging the church to “Enlarge the space of your tent…” (Isaiah 54:2), women’s ordination advocates called upon the synod assembly to make room for the voices and vocations of women called to ordained ministry.

“Our presence is a witness to the global calls for women’s ordination, both as a pastoral need and a matter of justice,” said Kate McElwee, the executive director of the Women’s Ordination Conference, and one of the coordinators of the action. “We ask that the synod attend to the painful injustice of women’s exclusion from ordained ministry with fierce urgency, making room in the ‘synodal tent’ for the living reality that God calls women to serve the church as priests and deacons.”

“Last night, we stood on holy ground, resuming women’s rightful place at the altar and sending a strong message to the Vatican that women can no longer be silenced and excluded from their own church.” said Miriam Duignan, member of the leadership team for Women’s Ordination Worldwide.

Our actions continue on Friday, October 6th at 3pm with a women’s march. Route begins at San Giovanni dei Fiorentini (Via Acciaioli, 2) processing via Lungotevere Castello (where we have apermit to gather) and will conclude at St. Peter’s Square

Contact:

Kate McElwee +1 607-725-1364
or  +39 393 692 2100 
kmcelwee@womensordination.org

Miriam Duignan +44 7970 926910
miriam.duignan@wijngaardsinstitute.com

Background:

Women’s Ordination Worldwide has actively and faithfully engaged with the discernment of the Synod, encouraging broad and hope filled participation by women in the process, despite the Vatican’s minimal credibility in truly listening to the voices, vocations, and concerns of women.  Yet against these odds, synod reports from all corners of the church have lifted up the call for women’s ordination, both as a pastoral need and as a matter of justice.  WOW is hopeful that the inclusion of women in ordained ministry is clearly high on the agenda, and prays that the Holy Spirit is not constrained by misogyny, clericalism, or fear.

The men are talking, the women are walking! Advocates for women’s ordination launch prayerful demonstrations in Rome and respond to the dubious dubia

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The men are talking, the women are walking! Advocates for women’s ordination launch prayerful demonstrations in Rome and respond to the dubious dubia: 03 October 2023

Press Release
For Immediate Release
Rome, Italy
03 October 2023

As Women’s Ordination Worldwide launches a series of demonstrations to mark the opening of the Synod on Synodality, senior clerics remain fixated on silencing and excluding women.

Five cardinals have submitted a new set of five dubia (doubts) to Pope Francis focusing on women’s ordination, as well as the blessing of same-sex unions and the authority of the synod to issue binding teaching.

Their concern about women is: Could the Church in the future have the faculty to confer priestly ordination on women, thus contradicting that the exclusive reservation of this sacrament to baptized males belongs to the very substance of the Sacrament of Orders, which the Church cannot change?

This fearful reaction is no doubt a response to the synodal listening sessions where the majority of parishes around the world raised their own question for the Catholic hierarchy, namely: How long must women wait for equality? The call for women’s ordination was heard around the world as both a pastoral need and a matter of justice.

In his response to the dubia, Pope Francis stated that Pope John Paul II’s teaching that the ban on women’s ordination to the priesthood must be definitively held is not a dogmatic definition, and yet it must be adhered to by all. Francis said no one can contradict it publicly, and yet it can be a subject of study.

To this, WOW, responds: women do not need to be the subject of further study. If the synodal process has revealed anything to the global church so far, it is that women must be protagonists in the collective discernment of the movements of the Holy Spirit. The days of Catholics being silenced are over, and such treatment, especially of women, does not align with the collective call of a synodal church to attend to the urgent injustices in our church.

Those five cardinals are right to be worried: Pope Francis has now confirmed that the ban on women priests is not dogma. We recognise that further study is a stalling tactic but trust that the ever increasing calls for justice will lead to the restoration of women’s equal ministry sooner rather than later.

And we will not stop, we will not be silenced. WOW will continue to publicly demonstrate to send a clear message that our church can no longer be ruled over by a small but influential minority of hard-line clerics who have an unhealthy fixation on maintaining an all-male hierarchy despite the fact that this is clearly contrary to the intentions of Christ, the practise of the early Church and the will of the people they are supposed to serve.
# # #

Press Contacts:

Kate McElwee
+ 1 607 725 1364
or + 39 393 692 2100
kmcelwee@womensordination.org

Miriam Duignan
+ 44 7970 926910
miriam.duignan@wijngaardsinstitute.com

WOW’s Synodal Demonstrations:

As Pope Francis convenes the historic Synod on Synodality this October, Women’s Ordination Worldwide, and global partners, will host several events on the prophetic edges of the Vatican with the simple message for Pope Francis and the synod assembly: walk with women as equals.  Details below.

Tuesday, 3rd October - 4:30 pm GMT +2

Prayer vigil: Let Her Voice Carry
Live-Streamed: https://www.youtube.com/ordainwomen

Location of the vigil not widely publicised due to security concerns. Any media who would like to attend should contact us directly.

We will host a prayer vigil featuring the stories and testimonies of women worldwide praying for the courageous inclusion of women’s voices during the synodal gathering. Following the prayer service, WOW invites attendees and press to a drinks reception. (For details please contact us)

Wednesday, 4th October -  7:30- 8:30 am GMT +2

Widen the space of your tent action and delivery to Synod Office

Lungotevere Castello (Angolo Largo dei Mutilati ed Invalidi di Guerra)

On the opening day of the Synod, advocates for women’s ordination will offer a visual display of the synodal tent in a message that reflects the Synod’s official mission statement to Enlarge the space of your tent (Isaiah 54:2). We will then process to the Synod office and deliver more than 1000 symbolic squares of extra material for the Vatican to enlarge the space of their tent to include the voices of those who support opening all ordained ministries to all genders. Each piece of fabric represents a person from the grassroots calling for a larger, colorful, wide-open tent where all are included.

Friday, 6th October - 3 pm (activists gather at 2:30) GMT+2

Walk with Women: March to the Vatican
Route begins at San Giovanni dei Fiorentini (Via Acciaioli, 2) via Lungotevere Castello

and concludes at St. Peter’s Square

At the Opening Mass of the Synod in 2021, Pope Francis said: ‘The Holy Spirit always surprises us, to suggest fresh paths and new ways of thinking.’ Let’s make our Walk with Women a fresh path to full equality in the church.

Global advocates for women’s ordination will process from the site of a relic of the foot of St. Mary Magdalene, Apostle to the Apostles, and walk peacefully to St. Peter’s Square. Inspired by US suffragist movements, advocates will carry messages such as: Pope Francis, How Long Must Women Wait for Equality? and Resistance to Patriarchy is Obedience to God.

Background:

Women’s Ordination Worldwide has actively and faithfully engaged with the discernment of the Synod, encouraging broad and hope filled participation by women in the process, despite the Vatican’s minimal credibility in truly listening to the voices, vocations, and concerns of women.  Yet against these odds, synod reports from all corners of the church have lifted up the call for women’s ordination, both as a pastoral need and as a matter of justice.  WOW is hopeful that the inclusion of women in ordained ministry is clearly high on the agenda, and prays that the Holy Spirit is not constrained by misogyny, clericalism, or fear.

Women's Ordination Worldwide (WOW): Founded in 1996, WOW is an international network of groups whose current mission is the inclusion of Roman Catholic women in all ordained ministries. Founded on the principle of equality, WOW opposes all discrimination. 'There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus'. (Galatians 3:28)

WOW currently  includes representatives from Australia, Bangladesh, Belgium, Canada,  France, Germany, Great Britain, India, Ireland, Poland, South Africa,  and the United States.

Women's Ordination Worldwide Responds to Voting Rights for a Handful of Women

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Women’s Ordination Worldwide Responds to Handful of Voting Rights for Women

Press Release For Immediate Release
28 April 2023:

The Vatican has taken a step in the right direction with its decision to grant a small group of non-ordained people, including women, voting rights in the October 2023 Synod General Assembly,

This breakthrough is the result of decades of unrelenting advocacy by people who believe in the teachings and leadership modelled by Jesus. The shift signals rising awareness in Church leadership that our all-male priesthood amounts to a rejection of women’s baptismal equality. The exclusively male priesthood and hierarchy continue to stand today as an exemplar to the world of an international bastion of sexism.

If our Church is to become the discipleship of equals that we are called to be, we must go much further. While Pope Francis' decision to appoint a small number of women to the voting ranks contributes to the painfully slow grinding down of anti-woman practices that corrupt the official Church, it is not enough. The continuing exclusion of women from priesthood is an injustice that undermines our Church’s moral authority around the world.

We note how eager Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich was to stress this announcement constituted an important change but 'not a revolution.' He sought to reassure his clerical colleagues that the synod itself would continue to have a majority of bishops making decisions: 'Change is normal in life and history. Sometimes there are revolutions in history, but revolutions have victims. We don't want to have victims.'

We urge caution in expecting radical inclusivity anytime soon without putting further pressure on the Vatican to recognise that it is Catholic women who suffer the consequences of institutional sexism and not the priests and Bishops who fear becoming ‘victims’ by virtue of a handful of women sharing in decision making.

Women's Ordination Worldwide will continue to work for the day when the conscience of Church leadership is moved to open doors to women, as it has to men, who long to be heard and to serve their church as equals in Christ.

Until then, we will carry on.

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Women’s Ordination Worldwide Media Contacts:

Women's Ordination Worldwide (WOW): Founded in 1996, WOW is an international network of groups whose current mission is the inclusion of Roman Catholic women in all ordained ministries. Founded on the principle of equality, WOW opposes all discrimination. 'There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus'. (Galatians 3:28)

WOW currently includes representatives from Australia, Bangladesh, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Great Britain, India, Ireland, Poland, South Africa, and the United States.

Women's Ordination Worldwide Responds to Death of Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI

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Women's Ordination Worldwide responds to death of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI


PRESS RELEASE: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 31, 2022

Today, Women’s Ordination Worldwide marks the death of Joseph Ratzinger, an academic who understood church history better than most and began his clerical life as a liberal theologian knowing  full well that women were equal founding leaders of the Roman Catholic Church. However, as head of the Vatican’s doctrinal office for decades, and later as pope, Benedict XVI caused immense harm through his fixation on the ‘crimes’ of  Catholics seeking equality, inclusion and justice.


We lament the fact that Pope Benedict died without apologizing for silencing his fellow theologians and women's ordination campaigners who dared to question his increasingly extreme positions on women’s ordained ministry. In particular, we call to mind Pope Benedict’s 2010 decision to classify the “attempted ordination of a woman” as a grave crime, on a par with the sexual abuse of a child, but with the punishment of automatic excommunication for women.


We extend our sympathy and solidarity to the survivors of abuse by clergy and note that Pope Benedict’s tolerance for the crimes of male priests was in sharp contrast to his determination to punish those who challenged his absolute intolerance for the equality of women.


We pray for the repose of the soul of Pope Emeritus Benedict and for the healing of divisions that his intransigent theology deepened within the church.
 

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Women’s Ordination Worldwide Media Contacts:

Women's Ordination Worldwide (WOW): Founded in 1996, WOW is an international network of groups whose current mission is the inclusion of Roman Catholic women in all ordained ministries. Founded on the principle of equality, WOW opposes all discrimination. 'There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus'. (Galatians 3:28)

WOW currently includes representatives from Australia, Bangladesh, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Great Britain, India, Ireland, Poland, South Africa, and the United States.

Women's Ordination Advocates Detained at Vatican

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 29, 2022

 

On August 29, as Pope Francis convened an extraordinary two-day meeting of the world’s cardinals, a delegation of Women’s Ordination Worldwide (WOW) processed towards the Vatican carrying red parasols with messages of inclusion and reform. Making their way toward the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, the women welcomed the prelates with the message: “Remember your sisters who remain outside.” WOW is an international leader in creative, prayerful action bringing visibility to the urgent need for the full equality of women in the Catholic church.

After respectfully greeting several cardinals, the group was detained and later escorted across St. Peter’s Square to the local police station. The parasols, which in part read: “Sexism is a cardinal sin;” “Ordain women;” “Reform means women;” and “It’s reigning men,” were confiscated and the international group of seven women were detained for more than four hours, released “pending investigation.” 

Meanwhile, the male prelates met behind closed doors to discuss Pope Francis’ reorganization of the Vatican’s governing departments, which allows for the expansion of leadership roles to include women in positions once reserved for bishops and cardinals. Despite comprising more than half of the world’s 1.36 billion Catholics, no women were invited to be in dialogue with the cardinals about their own inclusion. 

WOW prays that today’s witness stirs the collective conscience of church leadership to open its doors to women who long to be heard and to serve their church as equals in Christ. 

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CONTACT: 

Kate McElwee, Executive Director, Women's Ordination Conference

 +1 607-725-1364 or +39 393 692 2100; kmcelwee@womensordination.org 

Miriam Duignan, Communications Director, Wijngaards Institute for Catholic Research: +44 7970 926910;  miriam.duignan@wijngaardsinstitute.com  

Founded in 1975, the Women's Ordination Conference (WOC) is the oldest and largest organization working to ordain women as deacons, priests, and bishops into an inclusive and accountable Roman Catholic Church. A feminist voice for women in the church, WOC is a grassroots-driven movement that promotes activism, dialogue, and prayerful witness to call for women's full equality in the church.

Women’s Ordination Worldwide (WOW): Founded in 1996, WOW is an international network of groups whose current mission is the inclusion of Roman Catholic women in all ordained ministries. WOW currently includes representatives from Australia, Bangladesh, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Great Britain, India, Ireland, Poland, South Africa, and the United States.