For Immediate Release: September 12, 2021 As Pope Francis arrives in Slovakia, we urge him to publicly recognize woman priest Ludmila Javorová, who 51 years ago was clandestinely ordained a priest by a Roman Catholic bishop as part of the underground church in Czechoslovakia during the country’s authoritarian Communist rule. Entrusted by her bishop, Javorová courageously…
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Learn about ordained woman priest Ludmila Javorová’s life, ministry, and why she is important as the world follows Francis to Slovakia.
For Immediate Release: June 1, 2021 Pope Francis’ June 1 changes to the Code of Canon Law (Book VI) on offenses and punishments fail to correct the mischaracterization of the “grave crime” of women following their authentic vocations to ordained ministry. While not new, the revised canon 1379 is a painful reminder of the Vatican’s…
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May 25, 2021 For Immediate Release: Escuchando a las mujeres, a project of the Women’s Ordination Conference, works to amplify and empower the voices of Latinx Catholics and mujerista theologians to advocate for greater equality and justice in the church and world. With strong roots in Latin America, and many partners in Colombia, we issue…
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Pope Francis has formally created a new lay ministry to encourage greater participation of secular women and men in the teaching of the Catholic faith, especially in places where priests are in short supply. WOC’s statement on the change was quoted in this AP article by Nicole Winfield. Read the full article here. The Women’s…
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For Immediate Release 11 May, 2021 The Women’s Ordination Conference (WOC) sincerely welcomes Pope Francis’ Apostolic Letter, Antiquum Ministerium, instituting the Ministry of Catechist for all laypeople. This formalization both affirms the authentic vocational calls many women experience, and the unique ways women enrich the church. “The institutional church’s expanding vision of the ways women…
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Position Title: Office Manager Reports to: Executive Director Organizational Description: Women’s Ordination Conference (WOC) is a feminist non-profit organization that advocates and prays for the ordination and the full equality of women in an inclusive and accountable Roman Catholic Church. Position Summary: The part-time office manager works to ensure financial stability, strengthen membership relations, and…
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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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