NCR: Women’s ordination advocates detained outside of Vatican meeting
ROME — As 197 Catholic cardinals, patriarchs and priests entered the Vatican on Aug. 29 for a closed-door, two-day meeting on the church’s governance, women’s ordination advocates gathered outside to protest the absence of women at the event — only to then be removed from the premises and later detained by Italian authorities.
“We hoped our witness would provoke an awakening of their consciences that there are sisters who are outside who are not included in these conversations,” organizer Kate McElwee told NCR after being released by the Italian police responsible for the security of St. Peter’s Square.
Now, according to McElwee, Women’s Ordination Worldwide (WOW), the umbrella group that organized the event, is officially “under investigation” for its action.