Author: Kate McElwee

BBC Sunday Programme: Catholic Women Strike

WOC executive Director, Kate McElwee, and three other voices from the Catholic Women Strike campaign were featured on the Sunday Programme on the BBC. Listen from 15:33 to hear the report.

Religion News Service: Catholic women go on Lenten strike to highlight their work in the church

(RNS) — As Lent began on Ash Wednesday (March 5), Catholic women frustrated over being disenfranchised by the church despite promises of greater recognition are going on strike, withholding numerous services and ministries to their Catholic parishes, schools and universities. Organized by the Women’s Ordination Conference, a 50-year-old group based in Rome that advocates for…
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Catholic Women Strike: Lent 2025

For Immediate Release March 5, 2025 Catholic women around the world will begin a Lenten strike on Wednesday, March 5th, withholding time, labor, and financial resources from the Roman Catholic Church.  Catholic Women Strike, organized by the Women’s Ordination Conference and global partners, seeks to disrupt a patriarchal status quo that too often depends on…
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Times of London: ‘Women make better managers,’ says Pope as he gives nun top job

Raffaella Petrini has been appointed to run the Vatican city governate, a role that includes responsibility for its health system, police force and museums. Read the full article and quotes by Kate McElwee, WOC executive director here: https://www.thetimes.com/world/europe/article/women-make-better-managers-says-pope-as-he-gives-nun-top-job-zcg8gt5rp

Hidden Springs, Holy Radiance

In the Spirit of St. Brigid of Kildare, the Women’s Ordination Conference invites our members to join us for a virtual retreat February 7-9, “Hidden Springs, Holy Radiance.” This experience will nurture both the “hidden springs” that are the source of our spirituality and the “holy radiance” that sparks our activism. We’ll hear from experts…
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Quotidiano Nazionale: La femminista cattolica: “Chiesa ancora sessista. Così favorisce le violenze”

“Il Papa tradisce le donne, poteva cancellare la diseguaglianza di genere nella Chiesa ed invece, decidendo di soprassedere ancora sul ripristino del diaconato femminile, perpetua il sessismo“. Con riflessi gravi anche sulla vita sociale al punto che “Bergoglio rischia di alimentare episodi di violenza sulle donne”. Lo sguardo delicato, quasi smarrito, della 38enne americana Kate McElwee contrasta con la…
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NCR: Catholic women urged to ‘strike’ over inequality in the church

What would the Catholic Church do without women? If some activists have their way, we’re about to find out. A new project is urging women to strike by withholding time, labor and financial resources from the church during Lent, which begins March 5. The planned action is in response to the Vatican’s synod on synodality,…
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Women’s Ordination Advocates respond to final Synod on Synodality Document

For Immediate Release: October 26, 2024 The Women’s Ordination Conference (WOC) finds the Final Document of the 16th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, released 26 October 2024 by the Vatican’s synod office, an insufficient and disappointing response to the multi-year process meant to respond to the needs of the church today.  While…
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WOC is hiring: Development Manager

Job Description Position Title: Development Manager Reports to: Executive Director The Women’s Ordination Conference (WOC) seeks a Development Manager to design and implement a comprehensive development strategy to uphold our mission, increase support, and position us for significant growth. Founded in 1975, the Women’s Ordination Conference is the oldest and largest organization working  to ordain…
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America Media: Pope Francis says no to women deacons in ‘60 Minutes’ interview

Pope Francis twice said “no” to the possibility of ordaining women deacons in an interview with CBS’s “60 Minutes” that aired on Paramount Plus last night. Some advocates of women’s ordination both to the priesthood and to the diaconate have questioned whether the pope’s “no” on a topic that is still under study has undermined…
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