AP’s Nicole Winfield’s report on the appointment of Sr. Nathalie Becquart to the Synod of Bishops, and quotes WOC Executive Director, Kate McElwee: ROME (AP) — A French nun who has become the first woman to hold a voting position at the Vatican said Wednesday that her appointment is evidence the “patriarchal mindset is changing”…
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For Immediate Release: 11 January, 2021 The Women’s Ordination Conference (WOC) welcomes Pope Francis’ Apostolic Letter, “Spiritus Domini,” that expands Canon Law 230, regarding the ministries of lector and acolyte, to include all laypeople. This shift brings the institutional Church in better alignment with pastoral realities around the world, and eliminates the ability of an…
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For Immediate Release: 24 November 2020 In a soon-to-be released book, Let Us Dream: The Path to a Better Future, Pope Francis criticizes those who believe women must be priests to be leaders in the Catholic Church, claiming it is “clericalist and disrespectful.” The Women’s Ordination Conference rejects this mischaracterization of the global movement working…
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Women’s Ordination Conference (WOC) welcomes and appreciates your support as a sponsor of our 45th anniversary gala, Breaking Bread at the Table of Justice: A Celebration of Prophetic Persistence, November 27-30, 2020. Support the mission of WOC and spread the word about your organization, business, or community by becoming a sponsor at one of the…
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From November 1-9, 2020, supporters of ordination justice gathered (virtually) for a parallel “Vocations Awareness Week” to call for the inclusion of women and non-binary people in all ordained ministries. We should not wait to be perfect in order to respond with our generous “yes,” nor be fearful of our limitations and sins, but instead…
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This past July, the Latin American Academy of Catholic Leaders and various scholars offered a certificate program: “Women in public life: feminism and Catholic identity in the 21st century.” The topic, requested by Pope Francis, attempted to reflect on “authentic feminism” and the promotion of women in public life. WOC’s Lilian Medina Romero enrolled in…
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September 23, 2020 As Catholics working together for a renewed Church, we stand proudly in solidarity with Irish Redemptorist Fr. Tony Flannery in the face of continued threats and bullying from the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) over his support for women’s ordination and the full dignity of LGBT+ persons. The Inquisition-era…
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For Immediate Release: September 17, 2020 Fr. Tony Flannery is long-time friend and ally of Women’s Ordination Worldwide (WOW) and today we stand in solidarity with him as he resists the Vatican’s attempts to punish him for his advocacy for women’s equality and ordination in the Catholic Church. In drawing attention to the tragic…
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Last week marked the 100th anniversary of the day that women’s right to vote was enshrined in the Constitution of the United States. The passage of the 19th amendment was the result of more than 80 years of women agitating, picketing and lobbying; some endured jail time and force-feedings when they went on strike to protest their…
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Many longtime WOC members will remember (or were contributors to) the original Liberating Liturgies, published in 1989. Decades later, we know that a lot has changed in our understanding of radical inclusion, intersectionality, and feminism(s), but we know that the need for liberating rituals, liturgies, poems, and celebrations is greater than ever. The selections in this…
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