Our conSISTER-y of RESIST-ory succeeded!

On the eve of Pope Francis’ consistory, where he created 20 new male cardinals, Women’s Ordination Conference and our partners in mischief, Women’s Ordination Worldwide, made our presence known. While the Vatican attempts to keep women in the shadows, our international delegation shined many a bright light on one of the greatest cons-in-history: the exclusion of women from ordained ministry.

As you might imagine, we attracted a bit of attention in St. Peter’s Square. Within a minute the Italian polizia rolled in to see what was going on… but perhaps the heat of a deep August night in Rome (or some latent solidarity?), their hearts were not in it—and we twinkled away after a short “conversation.”

Our interactions with the police would not be so short two days later.  

On a cloudless Monday morning, we gathered with Women’s Ordination Worldwide dressed in cardinal red, carrying red parasols intended to share messages of inclusion to the cardinals gathering at the Vatican for their extraordinary consistory. At a meeting of 197 church leaders that included zero women, we seven women peacefully and creatively made our presence known outside.

As we began, we prayed that our voices might carry beyond the church’s closed doors and that our witness may challenge the conversations and consciences of our brother cardinals inside the Vatican.

We then opened our umbrellas, walking in a vivid line down the via della Conciliazione toward St. Peter’s Basilica. As we passed, a passerby watching exclaimed, “Cardinale!” 

With each step your prayers, donations, and support were with us. We were not sure how far we would get before being stopped by one of many layers of security around the Vatican, but to our surprise, we made it right to the gates surrounding St. Peter’s Square. So we kept going. 

Next we processed to the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, where we welcomed cardinals entering the consistory with our parasols, which read in part: “Sexism is a cardinal sin;” “Ordain women;” “Reform means women;” and “It’s reigning men.” 

After greeting several prelates, the surrounding police apprehended and kettled our group into a makeshift holding area for more than an hour. Despite various promises of being let go, we were eventually escorted across the Piazza del San Pietro to the nearest police station. At the station we were held for an additional 3 hours in a stale hallway waiting for our paperwork to be processed. Our parasols were confiscated as evidence but there was a little joy as our “subversive messages” were carefully detailed one-by-one in the police report. Eventually, we were released “pending investigation,” just as the cardinals were drifting out of the Vatican for their various lunch dates.

Without a doubt, we put the SISTER back in consistory, and our presence and absence were deeply felt. Our “Ministry of Irritation” continues to threaten the patriarchal business-as-usual at the Vatican. We are grateful for our Women’s Ordination Worldwide partners and all those praying for us as we risked arrest to raise up the absolute injustice of the inequality of women in the Catholic church. 

The Holy Spirit will not be detained! 

Without a doubt, we ruffled some (cardinal) feathers with our witness that day. Until women are equal in the Catholic Church, our movement is at risk. Please make an urgent “Ministry of Irritation” donation today to ensure our message continues to be heard loud and clear. Your support and solidarity at this moment is crucial.