Vita gazette: Pope Francis revolutionises the Synod of Bishops, given the October general assembly on the Synodal Church, by providing the right to vote for women and the laity.

 Pope Francis made a historic reform. The Pope has decided that women must also vote in the Conclave. Before the decision, only one woman nominated to the post of undersecretary with voting rights in the Assembly of Bishops in 2021 could vote in the assemblies. With the decision, 70 non-bishops will be appointed to the Council of Bishops, half of whom are women.

The nature or the name does not change, but the composition of the participants in the assembly does change, in which “non-bishop” members will also take part; therefore, laymen appointed directly by the Pope, 50% of whom “we ask” that they are women. Everyone will have the right to vote, reaching several voting members of approximately 370 out of over 400 participants.

Cardinal Mario Grech, head of the House of Bishops, said in a statement that with the changes, about 21 percent of the representatives at the October meeting will be non-bishops, and half of this group will be women.

Since 1960, the Catholic Church has called its bishops worldwide to the Vatican for a few weeks to discuss specific issues. At the end of the meetings, the bishops vote on some proposals, present them to the Pope and formulate recommendations. This year’s meetings will be held from 4 to 29 October.

Nathalie Becquart, a French nun, for the first time a woman, was appointed to the position of undersecretary with the right to vote in the House of Bishops in 2021. Becquart became the first woman to vote in the House of Bishops in 1965.