The one of Francisco It has been a Papate of symbolic advances. Also in the participation of women in the church He took steps unprecedentedespecially with the Appointment of more women in positions Vatican key that none of its predecessors. However, his legacy leaves the same structural barriers In access to the clergy, an ambivalence that leaves a flavor bittersweet Among Catholic women – who are a majority than Catholic men.
“There are roads open by Pope Francis who have no turning backbecause the society in which we live would not accept it, ”he explains to El Periódico Carmen-José Alejos, professor at the Faculty of Theology at the University of Navarra. “He dared to take the difficult time to break the prejudices of some ecclesiastics that women perform positions in the Vatican curia,” he adds, something that this specialist hopes to see more. There are many issues that this Atypical Pope leaves in the inkwell, and although for some of these advances a reform of the norms that govern institutions is necessary, for others it is a change of mentality and political will – of the Church.
Priestess women
“The model of Most horizontal church that Francisco brought has opened the window to the participation of women, ”he explains to this newspaper Noemí Ubach, from Allem la Veuwhich is defined as an organization of believers and feminist women. Francisco put in the center the values of mercy and attention to disadvantaged. That included causes that mainly affect womensuch as the fight against Trafficking in people and economic exploitation. But criticism goes through the possibility that women can become priestesses or, at an earlier level, diaconists (deacons cannot celebrate Mass but can, for example, marry).
During Francisco’s papacy, they were created Two commissions to study the possibility of a female diaconatesomething mentioned in the Bible. The first commission (2016-2019) decided not to publish the resulting report, and the Pope claimed that Consensus was not reachedalthough some of its members have questioned this version. The second commission, initiated in 2020, did not finish his jobs.
Other roles in the church, such as Teachers forming future clergy in the Faculty of Theology or as Vatican spokesmenthey are functions that women They could already performalthough they still have done it. “For that, it is not necessary to change a comma of canon law,” says Ubach.
The greatest inclusion could also contribute to avoid more scandals of sexual abuse in the church, “great shame and a scourge“In the words of EVA SAFEalso from Almm la Veu. “When there are structures of authoritarian hierarchical power is easier for sexual violence to occurand other types of violence, such as psychological. “To avoid” Dangers of authoritarianism”Safe insists that a Less hierarchical and masculinized churchwith such a “Protect generations of believers and students of Christian schools ”.
Modifiable laws
“In the Church there is a legal principle by which ecclesial law can never go against divine law, but is here to take it into practice,” he explains to this newspaper Sergio Rodríguez López-Ros, Church Law and Professor of the Abat Oliba CEU Universitythat compares it with how laws must develop and not contradict the Constitution. “Any foot on foot can baptize another if necessary”, He puts as an example, so women can also baptize, something that happens only occasionally but that could be done more.
Even so, so that women can be ordered as priests or as deacons, priests and bishopsa change of the norms would be needed. “You have to change the right. But it is that The right is always modifiableas in Spain the death penalty was legal until 1978 but then it ceased to be, ”emphasizes Rodríguez. In fact, Pope Francis changed other laws in order to simplify the legal process of matrimonial nullity, and John Paul II modified the canonization procedure that went from requiring two miracles to one.
Women in positions
The first great appointment of a woman for Pope Francis was in 2016, with Barbara jatta as Director of Vatican Museums. He also incorporated two women into the committee who chooses bishops, until then exclusively masculine and in 2024, He first granted women In the Synod, an advisory assembly that periodically brings together representatives from all over the world to discuss the main challenges of the Church, raising their participation with almost 60 with some 300 cardinals, bishops and priests. “Thus, things are opening a little,” Francisco told the Reuters agency.
Just a few months before his death, the Pope commissioned Simona Brambilla the supervision of the world’s Catholic religious orders. Some of these appointments “followed the wake of their predecessors,” says Carmen-José Alejos. This is the case of Sor Raffaella Petrini, who was General Secretary of the Government of the State of the Vatican City, and now is the Prefect.
From Navarra, Alejos claims to expect some continuity, although it is uncertain until there is a white smoking. “What is evident, as Francisco said, is that women, by nature, we see aspects that escape menand working together the decisions are improved, ”he concludes.
