Vatican City, Feb 2, 2018 / 12:00 pm
Cardinal Kevin Farrell has reportedly barred several speakers set to address an annual women's event inside the Vatican over concerns about their LGBT positions, prompting organizers to find another venue.
First held in 2014, the "Voices of Faith" (VoF) event has taken place inside the Vatican's Casina Pio IV, headquarters of the Pontifical Academy for Sciences, every March for the past four years.
The event is scheduled each year to coincide with the March 8 celebration of International Women's Day, and typically draws speakers from various backgrounds to give testimonies and speak on a specific theme.
Organizers have relocated the 2018 conference, titled "Why Women Matter," to another location outside Vatican grounds, after two high-profile speakers didn't meet the Vatican's approval: Mary McAleese, former president of Ireland, and Ssenfuka Juanita Warry, who runs a non-profit advocating for LGBT Catholics in Uganda.