29 September 2020, The Tablet

A leading Catholic campaigner for women's ordination explains what the Pope must change and why


A leading Catholic campaigner for women's ordination explains what the Pope must change and why

Kate McElwee in front of the bridge Castel Sant'Angelo, by St Peter's, where she hung a poster that says: 'Ordain Women'.
Kate McElwee

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Even in Italy, where “fratelli” can arguably be taken to mean both brothers and sisters, women are feeling upset and excluded by the title of the Pope's new encyclical, Fratelli tutti. A coaliton of Catholic women's groups from around the world have put together an open letter to the Pope asking him to include “sorelle”, or sisters, in the title. In this podcast, Kate McElwee, executive director of the Women's Ordination Conference, where she has worked since 2011, explains why it matters so much. And she puts this latest misstep by Pope Francis into the context of the wider debate over women's ordination, and the ongoing attempts by Rome to suppress its advocates.

Kate, pictured above moderating a conversation with Joan Chittister and Teresa Foracdes, attended Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Massachusetts earning her BA in religion and later attended SOAS in London, earning an masters in international human rights law. Kate serves on the leadership circle of Women's Ordination Worldwide and the parish council of Caravita Catholic Community in Rome, where she and her husband have lived since 2014.

 




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