NY Times: Pope Gives Women a Vote in Influential Meeting of Bishops

ROME — When Francis became pope a decade ago, his inclusive tone and openness to change fueled expectations among many Catholic women about a greater role for them in the Roman Catholic Church.

The contribution of women should not be limited “to altar girls or the president of a charity,” he said in a 2013 news conference aboard the papal plane. “There must be more.” …

…“It’s an incredible development in the church’s history and something that we’re celebrating as a significant crack in the stained-glass ceiling,” said Kate McElwee, executive director of the Women’s Ordination Conference, who said it was very encouraging to see a “growing trend toward gender parity in the synod hall.”

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