Francis has gradually expanded the role of lay people and women since 2013. (File)
Vatican CITY:
Women and laity will be able to vote in the next general assembly of bishops, the Vatican announced Wednesday, in a symbolic change for the Catholic Church.
“This is a significant crack in the stained glass ceiling,” the US-based Women’s Ordination Conference (WOC) said in a statement, hailing a “historic” moment.
The next phase in an ongoing global consultation on the future of the Church will take place in Rome in October, and for the first time, the right to vote will not be reserved for male clergy.
Under new rules published on Wednesday, 70 people will also be chosen to participate “representing different groupings of the faithful of the People of God (priests, consecrated women, deacons, lay believers)”.
“It is requested that 50 percent of them be women and that the presence of young people is also emphasized,” the rulebook said.
The 70 would be hand-picked by Pope Francis and account would be taken “not only of their general culture and prudence, but also of their knowledge, both theoretical and practical”.
“As members, they have the right to vote,” it said.
The consultations on the future of the Church address important issues, from the handling of sexual abuse cases and the role of women to the rights of divorced and remarried.
Since his election in 2013, Francis has gradually expanded the role of lay people and women, notably by increasing the number of women appointed to the Curia, the central “government” of the Holy See.
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