In addition to covering the traditional topics of major questions linked to the role of women in the Church, the new version of the magazine will now include two new meditations on the topic of each specific edition. The first is a meditation on scripture, while the second will be dedicated to art.
The May edition has already been released and is dedicated to the same topic as the first edition of the publication in 2012: the Visitation.
Future editions will reflect on different aspects of feminine identity such as: Maternity as caring for the world; Maternity as reconciliation, taking into account various testimonies of reconciliation from around the world; Women and Canon Law; Forgotten women and Women of prayer.
Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin, who spoke at the May 3 presentation of the new version of the magazine, said in comments to journalists that the publication is "a very important initiative" in terms of understanding and reflecting on the role of women in the Church.
He noted how women have made contributions of "exceptional value" to the Church throughout history, and named St. Catherine of Siena as one of the Church's most influential female giants.
"If one thinks about the role St. Catherine of Siena had, in the spiritual life but also in the life of the Church, she was a great politician (and) she was a diplomat, so she had a large role. She truly influenced the life of the Church," he said.
The cardinal condemned the idea that there ought to be a "gender quota" in the Vatican, and stressed that in his experience, what women really want is "to advance with their merits (and) their abilities, without reserved institutional spaces."
Women, he said, "must have their contribution for what they are, for what they do," and not so much for what is set aside for them. This, he said, is why he sense a certain "reluctance to accept this concept of the gender quota."
In terms of top positions or management roles in the Church, Cardinal Parolin stressed that the Church has positions "that are already definitive," such as when it comes to the priesthood, for example.
In order to overcome an attitude of machismo within the Church, the cardinal encouraged the promotion of initiatives, such as the magazine, which create space for women to have a voice and give their own contributions, and which "nourish what can also be a heritage" for the Church and for the world.
Elise Harris was senior Rome correspondent for CNA from 2012 to 2018.