Francis has progressively expanded the roles of men and women since 2013. (File)
Vatican City:
Women and lay people will be able to vote at the next General Assembly of Bishops, the Vatican announced on Wednesday in a symbolic change for the Catholic Church.
“This is a significant crack in the stained glass ceiling,” the US-based Women’s Coordination Conference (WOC) said in a statement.
The next stage in an ongoing global consultation on the future of the Church is due to take place in Rome in October, and for the first time, the right to cast a ballot will not be reserved for male clerics.
New rules published on Wednesday said that 70 people would also be chosen to participate “who represent different groups of the faithful of God’s people (priests, chaste women, deacons, lay faithful)”.
“It is requested that 50 per cent of them be women and emphasis is also laid on the presence of youth,” the rulebook said.
The 70 will be hand-picked by Pope Francis and “accounted for not only of their general culture and prudence, but also of their theoretical and practical knowledge”.
“As members, they have the right to vote,” it said.
The consultation on the future of the church is looking at key issues, from the role of women in dealing with sexual abuse cases and the rights of remarried divorcees.
Since his election in 2013, Francis has progressively expanded the roles 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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