Vatican City, Oct 14, 2023 / 17:20 pm
The first woman to preside over a Synod of Bishops described the experience of sitting with Pope Francis at the head table as “a gift and a grace” — and a sign of things to come in the Catholic Church.
Speaking at a press briefing today, Sister Maria de los Dolores Palencia Gomez, a Sister of St. Joseph of Lyon, described the participation of women in the ongoing Synod of Synodality as “setting the stage for future changes.”
“I feel that this is a gradual process,” said Gomez, who is from Mexico. “Little by little, we shall see changes.”
The Oct. 4–29 Synod on Synodality is an assembly meant to advise Pope Francis on how the Catholic Church can more fully incorporate all of its members. The assembly includes 54 women among its 365 delegates, the first time women have ever voted in a Synod of Bishops.