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Wants to involve women more: Pope Francis, here at a mass in St. Peter's Basilica
Photo: VATICAN MEDIA / CPP / IPA / imago images / Independent Photo Agency Int.
The French Nathalie Becquart is the first woman in the history of the Catholic Church to have a vote in the Synod of Bishops.
Pope Francis appointed the nun as Synod Undersecretary, as the Vatican announced.
The 53-year-old has been an advisor to the General Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops since 2019.
With Becquart's appointment as undersecretary, Francis is underscoring his will to involve women "more in church differentiation and decision-making processes," said the General Secretary of the Synod of Bishops, Cardinal Mario Grech, in an interview with "Vatican Radio".
The next regular synod is to take place in 2022
The Synod of Bishops is an advisory body to the Pope.
The head of the church decides when and on which topics the synod meets.
In addition to the ordinary general assembly, the Pope can convene an extraordinary assembly on current issues or a special assembly on regional topics, as was the case at the Family Synod in 2014 and the Amazon Synod in 2019.
Participants in the extraordinary assembly include the presidents of the national bishops' conferences, the heads of the Curia authorities, representatives of the order, the patriarchs of the Eastern Churches as well as auditors and experts.
The next regular synod under the motto "For a synodal church - fellowship, participation and mission" is planned for October 2022.
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