Author: Kate McElwee

Three women can help name new bishops, the Pope decides

WOC Executive Director, Kate McElwee, was quoted in several outlets in response to Pope Francis’ appointment of three women to the Dicastery for Bishops, including: The Daily Mail The Times (London) AFP

WOC welcomes appointment of women to the Dicastery for Bishops

For Immediate Release: July 13, 2022 The Women’s Ordination Conference welcomes Pope Francis’ July 13, 2022 appointment of three women, Sr. Raffaella Petrini, F.S.E., Sr. Yvonne Reungoat, F.M.A., and Dr. Maria Lia Zervino, to the Dicastery for Bishops as an important step in removing all barriers to women’s full participation in the life of the…
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Women’s Ordination Advocates call on the church to “Walk with Women”

Media Advisory: June 1, 2022 Members of the Women’s Ordination Conference (WOC) will gather outside Holy Name Cathedral in Chicago on Pentecost Sunday, June 5th 2022, at 2 pm, calling the church to “journey together” with women who long to be embraced as equals in Christ. The witness is in response to the Pope Francis’…
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Open the door!

On the anniversary of the “Papal No,” please consider supporting the Women’s Ordination Conference with a donation today.

CNN: Opinion: The Pope puts a crack in the Catholic Church’s ‘stained glass ceiling’

(CNN) Pope Francis put another crack in the Catholic Church’s “stained glass ceiling” last week, announcing reforms that will allow women to head some Vatican offices. The Vatican is now free to hire the best person for these jobs, instead of being limited to an ever-shrinking group of cassocked men. The news caught some by…
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WOC Applauds Francis’ Reorganization of Vatican Offices

March 22, 2022 The Women’s Ordination Conference applauds Pope Francis’ reorganization of the Vatican’s governing departments in his updated Apostolic Constitution, Praedicate Evangelium (“Preach the Gospel”). Most significantly, the constitution expands leadership roles once reserved for cardinals or bishops to laypeople, including women. WOC supports this renewed emphasis on “canonical mission,” or baptism, as the…
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NCR: Women’s ordination, synodality and hope for the future

Read Executive Editor Heidi Schlumpf’s March 11, 2022 column in NCR: As the second anniversary of the COVID-19 pandemic approaches, I recall (with the aid of Google Calendar) that my last work trip before the lockdown was in January 2020 to cover the lead-up to the Democratic presidential primary in Iowa. I interviewed Marianne Williamson the night…
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Leaders the Church can’t have

The Tablet (UK) named 50 “remarkable women” leaders of the Catholic church, including WOC executive director, Kate McElwee. Read the full article here. There is one tragedy that an increasing number of Catholics agree on – the Church’s failure to make full use of the enormous wealth of experience and the talents, expertise and special…
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WOC in NCR: Grant women’s ordination advocates the respect of encounter

Executive Director, Kate McElwee responds to the suggestion that the Women’s Ordination Conference might impose an “American activist agenda” onto the synodal process. A hopeless believer in dialogue, I regularly send messages to the Vatican and bishops to inform them of what the Women’s Ordination Conference is up to. These messages are almost always met…
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10 Reasons to Support WOC

We know that unjust practices and laws don’t reverse themselves. Change is not possible without an empowered grassroots movement. As we prepare to count down to a new year, we need your help to keep the movement for women’s equality strong, visible, and vocal.  While the journey is long, we are determined to work uncompromisingly and unwaveringly for…
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