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

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