NCR: Retiring director of FutureChurch praised as woman of spirit, spunk, hope

By Katie Collins Scott

On Oct. 3, 2018, as bishops and cardinals entered the Vatican to participate in the Synod of Bishops on young people, a group peacefully protested the fact that no women would be allowed to vote at the international gathering. 

Standing outside the Palace of the Holy Office, near where the synod members would enter the city-state, several dozen women and men chanted: “Knock, knock.” “Who’s there?” “More than half the church.”

Their actions drew the attention of the Italian police who patrol the area around St. Peter’s Square. The police broke up the witness while demanding passports, yelling in one woman’s face and grabbing the arm of another.

The stress of the confrontation, however, did not stop the women. Later that afternoon, Deborah Rose-Milavec, executive director of FutureChurch, an Ohio-based reform organization, and Kate McElwee, executive director of the Women’s Ordination Conference, set to work crafting a petition for voting rights. …

…”Deb has made her mark as a leader, as someone who is always willing to help widen the table,” said McElwee, who organized the 2018 protest. “She is a brilliant combination of spirit and spunk and a serious work ethic to advance the church.” 

Read the full article in the National Catholic Reporter here.