Pope Francis Elects The First Woman To Senior Synod Post

Head of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis has authorized a  Frenchwoman, member of the Xaviere Missionary, Nathalie Becquart as an undersecretary of the synod of bishops, a department that prepares major meetings of world bishops held every few years on a different topic.

She is the first woman to hold the post and have voting rights. 

Becquart, 52, a member of the France-based Xaviere Sisters, has obtained a master’s degree in management from the prestigious HEC business school in Paris and studied in Boston before joining the order.

” With the nomination of Sister Nathalie Becquart and her possibility of participating in voting, a door has opened.”

The synod is led by bishops and cardinals who have voting rights and also comprises experts who cannot vote.

The pope named Spaniard Luis Marin de San Martin as the other undersecretary

The appointment signals the pontiff’s desire “for a greater participation of women in the process of discernment and decision-making in the church”, said Cardinal Mario Grech, the secretary-general of the synod.