The Vatican announced Wednesday that it will allow women to vote in the Synod of Bishops for the first time in history by opening the process to lay people.
The Vatican Synod office said it would eliminate the role of “auditor” and instead allow the 70 non-bishops to participate in the vote in October, who previously only watched the proceedings, according to the National Catholic Report.
In addition, the Synod office asked that half of the new participants be women and encouraged the inclusion of young people, who little by little “have drifted away from the church.”
The Synod of Bishops is described by the Code of Canon Law as “a group of bishops who have been chosen from different regions of the world and meet on fixed dates to foster a closer unity between the Roman Pontiff and the bishops, to help to the Roman Pontiff in his advice on the preservation and growth of faith and morals”.
However, now the Synod will “change” its rules so that they include both women and young people interested in “helping” the Pope in the growth of morality.
According to the National Catholic Report, members who are not bishops are expected to represent less than 25% of the total number of members participating in the vote.
Speaking on the subject, Cardinal Mario Grech, secretary general of the Synod of Bishops, told a news conference Wednesday that the inclusion of laity does not “undermine” the nature of the gathering, but rather “enriches the whole church.”
“It is a change, but it is not a revolution,” added Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich, general relator of the Synod on Synodality. “Change is normal in life, in history.”
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