Vatican won’t say if women can vote in 2023 church meeting
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Vatican won’t say if women can vote in 2023 church meetingAlessandra Tarantino
FILE - In this Feb. 10, 2021 file photo, Sister Natalie Becquart poses for a photo during an interview with the Associated Press, in Rome, Pope Francis next month will open a two-year process of consultation of ordinary faithful aimed at revitalizing the Catholic Church, but Vatican officials refused on Tuesday to say whether women would have an equal say when concrete proposals are put to a vote in 2023. The appointment earlier this year of Becquart as an undersecretary in the Vatican’s synod office had signaled that she at least would probably be able to cast a vote, since her male predecessors had that right by nature of their office. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino, file)
Alessandra TarantinoFILE - In this Feb. 10, 2021 file photo, Sister Natalie Becquart poses for a photo during an interview with the Associated Press, in Rome, Pope Francis next month will open a two-year process of consultation of ordinary faithful aimed at revitalizing the Catholic Church, but Vatican officials refused on Tuesday to say whether women would have an equal say when concrete proposals are put to a vote in 2023. The appointment earlier this year of Becquart as an undersecretary in the Vatican’s synod office had signaled that she at least would probably be able to cast a vote, since her male predecessors had that right by nature of their office. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino, file)
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Vatican won’t say if women can vote in 2023 church meetingAP FILE
The Catholic Church doesn't sound like a small business. But based on a special exception the U.S. church helped lobby into the program's rules, its thousands of parishes, schools and other affiliated entities became eligible. Having secured that break they received at least $3 billion from the paycheck program, AP found.
To calculate that tally, reporters hand-checked tens of thousands of records to identify institutions from all major faith groups and major charities in the U.S.
Catholic entities received about as much as the combined total of faith-based recipients from the four religions with the next largest amounts: Baptist, Lutheran, Methodist and Jewish. Catholic institutions also received many times more than other major U.S. nonprofits with charitable missions, such as the United Way, Goodwill Industries and Boys & Girls Clubs of America. Overall, Catholic organizations got nearly twice as much as 40 of the largest, most well-known charities, AP found.
This Friday, Jan. 22, 2021, photo shows the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Boston.
AP FILEThe Catholic Church doesn't sound like a small business. But based on a special exception the U.S. church helped lobby into the program's rules, its thousands of parishes, schools and other affiliated entities became eligible. Having secured that break they received at least $3 billion from the paycheck program, AP found.
To calculate that tally, reporters hand-checked tens of thousands of records to identify institutions from all major faith groups and major charities in the U.S.
Catholic entities received about as much as the combined total of faith-based recipients from the four religions with the next largest amounts: Baptist, Lutheran, Methodist and Jewish. Catholic institutions also received many times more than other major U.S. nonprofits with charitable missions, such as the United Way, Goodwill Industries and Boys & Girls Clubs of America. Overall, Catholic organizations got nearly twice as much as 40 of the largest, most well-known charities, AP found.
This Friday, Jan. 22, 2021, photo shows the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Boston.
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Vatican won’t say if women can vote in 2023 church meetingAP FILE
Those large dollar amounts were possible because, from bishops and cardinals on down, the nation's dioceses promoted the paycheck program.
One pastor told AP that leaders at his diocese's headquarters kept pressing him to get what one called "free money" for the church he leads. The pastor declined on what he described as moral grounds — he knew the program was supposed to help employers who, without the money, might close forever.
Although need was a key element of the paycheck program, the money had to circulate quickly. So instead of the usual scrutiny, this time applicants for government aid simply signed that they needed the money. AP found that Catholic dioceses that got the taxpayer-backed aid were sitting on well over $10 billion in cash, short-term investments and other liquid assets heading into the pandemic — an amount that only hints at their total wealth.
The financial resources of some dioceses rivaled or even exceeded those available to companies traded on stock markets, like Shake Shack and Ruth's Chris Steak House, whose early participation in the program triggered outrage. Many corporations returned the funds.
In this Thursday, Dec 24, 2020, file photo, worshippers gather for Christmas Eve Mass at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles.
AP FILEThose large dollar amounts were possible because, from bishops and cardinals on down, the nation's dioceses promoted the paycheck program.
One pastor told AP that leaders at his diocese's headquarters kept pressing him to get what one called "free money" for the church he leads. The pastor declined on what he described as moral grounds — he knew the program was supposed to help employers who, without the money, might close forever.
Although need was a key element of the paycheck program, the money had to circulate quickly. So instead of the usual scrutiny, this time applicants for government aid simply signed that they needed the money. AP found that Catholic dioceses that got the taxpayer-backed aid were sitting on well over $10 billion in cash, short-term investments and other liquid assets heading into the pandemic — an amount that only hints at their total wealth.
The financial resources of some dioceses rivaled or even exceeded those available to companies traded on stock markets, like Shake Shack and Ruth's Chris Steak House, whose early participation in the program triggered outrage. Many corporations returned the funds.
In this Thursday, Dec 24, 2020, file photo, worshippers gather for Christmas Eve Mass at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles.
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Vatican won’t say if women can vote in 2023 church meetingAP FILE
When the coronavirus forced parishes to close their doors last spring, losing in-person Sunday collections as a result, church leaders predicted a staggering financial blow.
Instead, AP found mounting evidence that the financial strength of dioceses remained robust — or even improved. That evidence came from audited financial statements that many of the nation's nearly 200 dioceses post online. The financials give a snapshot of each diocese's health as of June, several months into the pandemic.
In all, 38 of the 47 dioceses that already have posted their 2020 financials increased the cash, short-term investments and other funds they and their affiliates could use for general or unanticipated expenses. The pattern held whether a diocese was big or small, urban or rural, East or West, North or South.
At the nine dioceses that recorded declines in the fiscal year ending in June, the drops typically were less than 10% and still left them with millions of dollars on hand.
This Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2021, photo shows the Holy Name of Jesus Cathedral in Raleigh, N.C.
AP FILEWhen the coronavirus forced parishes to close their doors last spring, losing in-person Sunday collections as a result, church leaders predicted a staggering financial blow.
Instead, AP found mounting evidence that the financial strength of dioceses remained robust — or even improved. That evidence came from audited financial statements that many of the nation's nearly 200 dioceses post online. The financials give a snapshot of each diocese's health as of June, several months into the pandemic.
In all, 38 of the 47 dioceses that already have posted their 2020 financials increased the cash, short-term investments and other funds they and their affiliates could use for general or unanticipated expenses. The pattern held whether a diocese was big or small, urban or rural, East or West, North or South.
At the nine dioceses that recorded declines in the fiscal year ending in June, the drops typically were less than 10% and still left them with millions of dollars on hand.
This Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2021, photo shows the Holy Name of Jesus Cathedral in Raleigh, N.C.
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Vatican won’t say if women can vote in 2023 church meetingAP FILE
Catholic leaders told AP their parishes and schools suffered financially when they closed to slow the spread of the deadly virus. Without Paycheck Protection Program funds, they said, they would have had to slash jobs and curtail their charitable mission just when demand for food pantries and social services was spiking.
"We experienced a very steep and sudden revenue loss with no sign on the horizon that things would improve," a spokeswoman for the Chicago Archdiocese said in response to questions.
The archdiocese had more than $1 billion in cash and short-term investments in its headquarters and cemetery division as of May — enough to cover about 631 days of operating expenses, according to a review by the independent ratings agency Moody's Investors Service. Chicago's parishes, schools and ministries accumulated at least $77 million in paycheck protection funds.
In Los Angeles, archdiocesan spokeswoman Adrian Marquez Alarcon told AP the pandemic triggered "significant impact," leading to wage cuts and layoffs of parish staff, musicians and wedding coordinators.
Parishes, schools and ministries there collected at least $80 million in paycheck protection aid. That came at a time when the headquarters reported $658 million in available funds in the fiscal year when the coronavirus arrived.
This Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2021, photo shows the Holy Name of Jesus Cathedral in Raleigh, N.C.
AP FILECatholic leaders told AP their parishes and schools suffered financially when they closed to slow the spread of the deadly virus. Without Paycheck Protection Program funds, they said, they would have had to slash jobs and curtail their charitable mission just when demand for food pantries and social services was spiking.
"We experienced a very steep and sudden revenue loss with no sign on the horizon that things would improve," a spokeswoman for the Chicago Archdiocese said in response to questions.
The archdiocese had more than $1 billion in cash and short-term investments in its headquarters and cemetery division as of May — enough to cover about 631 days of operating expenses, according to a review by the independent ratings agency Moody's Investors Service. Chicago's parishes, schools and ministries accumulated at least $77 million in paycheck protection funds.
In Los Angeles, archdiocesan spokeswoman Adrian Marquez Alarcon told AP the pandemic triggered "significant impact," leading to wage cuts and layoffs of parish staff, musicians and wedding coordinators.
Parishes, schools and ministries there collected at least $80 million in paycheck protection aid. That came at a time when the headquarters reported $658 million in available funds in the fiscal year when the coronavirus arrived.
This Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2021, photo shows the Holy Name of Jesus Cathedral in Raleigh, N.C.
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Vatican won’t say if women can vote in 2023 church meetingNiranjan Shrestha
A Hindu man takes a holy bath before praying during Shivratri festival at Pashupatinath temple premises in Kathmandu, Nepal, Thursday, March 11, 2021. Shivratri, or the night of Shiva, is dedicated to the worship of Lord Shiva, the Hindu god of death and destruction. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)
Niranjan ShresthaA Hindu man takes a holy bath before praying during Shivratri festival at Pashupatinath temple premises in Kathmandu, Nepal, Thursday, March 11, 2021. Shivratri, or the night of Shiva, is dedicated to the worship of Lord Shiva, the Hindu god of death and destruction. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha)
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Vatican won’t say if women can vote in 2023 church meetingNariman El-Mofty
An Orthodox Christian refugee who fled the conflict in the Ethiopia's Tigray region reads prayers with his son in front of a church at the Hamdeyat Transition Center near the Sudan-Ethiopia border, eastern Sudan, Tuesday March 16, 2021. Political tensions between Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's government and the Tigray leaders who once dominated the country's government exploded in November into war. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty)
Nariman El-MoftyAn Orthodox Christian refugee who fled the conflict in the Ethiopia's Tigray region reads prayers with his son in front of a church at the Hamdeyat Transition Center near the Sudan-Ethiopia border, eastern Sudan, Tuesday March 16, 2021. Political tensions between Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's government and the Tigray leaders who once dominated the country's government exploded in November into war. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty)
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Vatican won’t say if women can vote in 2023 church meetingOded Balilty
Ultra-Orthodox Jewish men and children burn leavened items in final preparation for the Passover holiday in the ultra-Orthodox Jewish town of Bnei Brak, near Tel Aviv, Israel, Friday, March 26, 2021. Jews are forbidden to eat leavened foodstuffs during the Passover holiday that celebrates the biblical story of the Israelites' escape from slavery and exodus from Egypt. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)
Oded BaliltyUltra-Orthodox Jewish men and children burn leavened items in final preparation for the Passover holiday in the ultra-Orthodox Jewish town of Bnei Brak, near Tel Aviv, Israel, Friday, March 26, 2021. Jews are forbidden to eat leavened foodstuffs during the Passover holiday that celebrates the biblical story of the Israelites' escape from slavery and exodus from Egypt. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)
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Vatican won’t say if women can vote in 2023 church meetingAnupam Nath
Indians smeared in color participate in Holi festival celebrations in Gauhati, India, Monday, March 29, 2021. Hindus threw colored powder and sprayed water in massive Holi celebrations Monday despite many Indian states restricting gatherings to try to contain a coronavirus resurgence rippling across the country. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)
Anupam NathIndians smeared in color participate in Holi festival celebrations in Gauhati, India, Monday, March 29, 2021. Hindus threw colored powder and sprayed water in massive Holi celebrations Monday despite many Indian states restricting gatherings to try to contain a coronavirus resurgence rippling across the country. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)
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Vatican won’t say if women can vote in 2023 church meetingDar Yasin
Kashmiri Muslim women pray as the head priest displays a relic at the Hazratbal shrine on the occasion of Mehraj-u-Alam, believed to mark the ascension of Prophet Muhammad to heaven, in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Friday, March 12, 2021. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)
Dar YasinKashmiri Muslim women pray as the head priest displays a relic at the Hazratbal shrine on the occasion of Mehraj-u-Alam, believed to mark the ascension of Prophet Muhammad to heaven, in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Friday, March 12, 2021. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)
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Vatican won’t say if women can vote in 2023 church meetingRajesh Kumar Singh
Tourists sit on a boat and watch Hindu priests perform evening rituals on the banks of the River Ganges in Varanasi, India, Sunday, March 14, 2021. Varanasi is among the world's oldest cities, and millions of Hindu pilgrims gather annually here for ritual bathing and prayers in the Ganges River, considered holiest by Hindus. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)
Rajesh Kumar SinghTourists sit on a boat and watch Hindu priests perform evening rituals on the banks of the River Ganges in Varanasi, India, Sunday, March 14, 2021. Varanasi is among the world's oldest cities, and millions of Hindu pilgrims gather annually here for ritual bathing and prayers in the Ganges River, considered holiest by Hindus. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)
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Vatican won’t say if women can vote in 2023 church meetingDmitry Serebryakov
People watch a castle-shape wooden construction burning as part of celebrations at the Maslenitsa (Shrovetide) festival at the Nikola-Lenivets art park in Nikola-Lenivets village, about 200 kilometers (125 miles) southwest of Moscow, Russia, Saturday, March 13, 2021. Maslenitsa is an Orthodox Christian holiday celebrated in the last week before the Orthodox Lent. (AP Photo/Dmitry Serebryakov)
Dmitry SerebryakovPeople watch a castle-shape wooden construction burning as part of celebrations at the Maslenitsa (Shrovetide) festival at the Nikola-Lenivets art park in Nikola-Lenivets village, about 200 kilometers (125 miles) southwest of Moscow, Russia, Saturday, March 13, 2021. Maslenitsa is an Orthodox Christian holiday celebrated in the last week before the Orthodox Lent. (AP Photo/Dmitry Serebryakov)
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Vatican won’t say if women can vote in 2023 church meetingAndrew Medichini
An Iraqi security officer follows the prayer session led by Pope Francis for the victims of war at Hosh al-Bieaa Church Square, in Mosul, Iraq, once the de-facto capital of IS, Sunday, March 7, 2021. The long 2014-2017 war to drive IS out left ransacked homes and charred or pulverized buildings around the north of Iraq, all sites Francis visited on Sunday. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
Andrew MedichiniAn Iraqi security officer follows the prayer session led by Pope Francis for the victims of war at Hosh al-Bieaa Church Square, in Mosul, Iraq, once the de-facto capital of IS, Sunday, March 7, 2021. The long 2014-2017 war to drive IS out left ransacked homes and charred or pulverized buildings around the north of Iraq, all sites Francis visited on Sunday. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
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Vatican won’t say if women can vote in 2023 church meetingAndrew Medichini
Pope Francis, surrounded by shells of destroyed churches, leads a prayer for the victims of war at Hosh al-Bieaa Church Square, in Mosul, Iraq, once the de-facto capital of IS, Sunday, March 7, 2021. The long 2014-2017 war to drive IS out left ransacked homes and charred or pulverized buildings around the north of Iraq, all sites Francis visited. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
Andrew MedichiniPope Francis, surrounded by shells of destroyed churches, leads a prayer for the victims of war at Hosh al-Bieaa Church Square, in Mosul, Iraq, once the de-facto capital of IS, Sunday, March 7, 2021. The long 2014-2017 war to drive IS out left ransacked homes and charred or pulverized buildings around the north of Iraq, all sites Francis visited. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
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Vatican won’t say if women can vote in 2023 church meetingFelipe Dana
Members of the God's Love Evangelical Church and Rehab Center pray for a woman in an area known as "cracolandia" or crackland, amid the COVID-19 pandemic in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Friday, March 19, 2021. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)
Felipe DanaMembers of the God's Love Evangelical Church and Rehab Center pray for a woman in an area known as "cracolandia" or crackland, amid the COVID-19 pandemic in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Friday, March 19, 2021. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)
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Vatican won’t say if women can vote in 2023 church meetingRick Bowmer
Marius Annandale kneels while praying during a Second Amendment rally at the Utah State Capitol Saturday, March 27, 2021, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
Rick BowmerMarius Annandale kneels while praying during a Second Amendment rally at the Utah State Capitol Saturday, March 27, 2021, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
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Vatican won’t say if women can vote in 2023 church meetingMarco Ugarte
Actors put on their costumes prior a Palm Sunday passion play amid the coronavirus pandemic, outside Iztapalapa Cathedral, in Iztapalapa, a borough of Mexico City, Sunday, March 28, 2021. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)
Marco UgarteActors put on their costumes prior a Palm Sunday passion play amid the coronavirus pandemic, outside Iztapalapa Cathedral, in Iztapalapa, a borough of Mexico City, Sunday, March 28, 2021. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)
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Vatican won’t say if women can vote in 2023 church meetingKathy Willens
Melvin Goldstein, 90, smiles as his daughter Barbara Goldstein places her hand on his head during their first in-person, indoor family visit inside the Hebrew Home at Riverdale, Sunday, March 28, 2021, in the Bronx borough of New York. The younger Goldstein's spouse Judy Disco, left, stands at left. Due to earlier COVID-19 protocols, only outdoor visits through the windows had been allowed. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)
Kathy WillensMelvin Goldstein, 90, smiles as his daughter Barbara Goldstein places her hand on his head during their first in-person, indoor family visit inside the Hebrew Home at Riverdale, Sunday, March 28, 2021, in the Bronx borough of New York. The younger Goldstein's spouse Judy Disco, left, stands at left. Due to earlier COVID-19 protocols, only outdoor visits through the windows had been allowed. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)
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Vatican won’t say if women can vote in 2023 church meetingNatacha Pisarenko
Women embrace outside the courtroom after a judge acquitted former Catholic Priest Carlos Eduardo Jose, citing the statute of limitations had run out on allegations of years of sexual abuse of Mailin Gobbo when she was an adolescent, in San Martin, Argentina, Tuesday, March 9, 2021. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
Natacha PisarenkoWomen embrace outside the courtroom after a judge acquitted former Catholic Priest Carlos Eduardo Jose, citing the statute of limitations had run out on allegations of years of sexual abuse of Mailin Gobbo when she was an adolescent, in San Martin, Argentina, Tuesday, March 9, 2021. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
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Vatican won’t say if women can vote in 2023 church meetingDar Yasin
A Kashmiri Shiite Muslim girl lights candles at the grave of her relative to mark Shab-e- Barat, on the outskirts of Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Monday, March 29, 2021. Muslims visit ancestral graveyards for the salvation of the souls of the departed and also believe that all sins will be forgiven by praying to Allah throughout the Shab-e Barat night. (AP Photo/ Dar Yasin)
Dar YasinA Kashmiri Shiite Muslim girl lights candles at the grave of her relative to mark Shab-e- Barat, on the outskirts of Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Monday, March 29, 2021. Muslims visit ancestral graveyards for the salvation of the souls of the departed and also believe that all sins will be forgiven by praying to Allah throughout the Shab-e Barat night. (AP Photo/ Dar Yasin)
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Vatican won’t say if women can vote in 2023 church meetingAlvaro Barrientos
A devotee takes part in a Holy Week Palm Sunday procession at Saint Mary cathedral, in Pamplona, northern Spain, Sunday, March 28, 2021. Many devotees attended the procession a year after events were cancelled due to the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. (AP Photo/Alvaro Barrientos)
Alvaro BarrientosA devotee takes part in a Holy Week Palm Sunday procession at Saint Mary cathedral, in Pamplona, northern Spain, Sunday, March 28, 2021. Many devotees attended the procession a year after events were cancelled due to the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. (AP Photo/Alvaro Barrientos)
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Vatican won’t say if women can vote in 2023 church meetingMusa Sadulayev
An elderly Chechen man walks to pray at a snow-covered cemetery, a memorial to the Stalin-era deportation's victims, in Grozny, Russia, Friday, March 12, 2021. Chechens and Ingush were victims of the 1944 deportations to the barren steppes of then-Soviet Central Asia. (AP Photo/Musa Sadulayev)
Musa SadulayevAn elderly Chechen man walks to pray at a snow-covered cemetery, a memorial to the Stalin-era deportation's victims, in Grozny, Russia, Friday, March 12, 2021. Chechens and Ingush were victims of the 1944 deportations to the barren steppes of then-Soviet Central Asia. (AP Photo/Musa Sadulayev)
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Vatican won’t say if women can vote in 2023 church meetingChiang Ying-ying
Myanmar nationals living in Taiwan pray for victims and express their disdain against the military regime in Myanmar during a demonstration at Liberty Square in Taipei, Taiwan, Sunday, March 21, 2021. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying)
Chiang Ying-yingMyanmar nationals living in Taiwan pray for victims and express their disdain against the military regime in Myanmar during a demonstration at Liberty Square in Taipei, Taiwan, Sunday, March 21, 2021. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying)
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Vatican won’t say if women can vote in 2023 church meetingEmrah Gurel
The full moon rises over the sky in Istanbul, Sunday, March 28, 2021, with a view of the Camlica Mosque, the largest mosque in Asia Minor as a ship crosses the Bosphorus Strait separating European and Asian sides of the metropolis. The March full moon is called the "Worm Moon". (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)
Emrah GurelThe full moon rises over the sky in Istanbul, Sunday, March 28, 2021, with a view of the Camlica Mosque, the largest mosque in Asia Minor as a ship crosses the Bosphorus Strait separating European and Asian sides of the metropolis. The March full moon is called the "Worm Moon". (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)
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Vatican won’t say if women can vote in 2023 church meetingKhalil Hamra
Christians take part in Palm Sunday Mass at the Roman Catholic Church of the Holy Family, in Gaza City, Sunday, March 28 2021. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)
Khalil HamraChristians take part in Palm Sunday Mass at the Roman Catholic Church of the Holy Family, in Gaza City, Sunday, March 28 2021. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)
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Vatican won’t say if women can vote in 2023 church meetingMahmud Hossain Opu
A group of protestors shout slogans and wave shoes after Friday prayers at Baitul Mokarram mosque in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Friday, March 26, 2021. Witnesses said violent clashes broke out after one faction of protesters began waving their shoes as a sign of disrespect to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and another group tried to stop them. Local media said the protesters who tried to stop the shoe-waving are aligned with the ruling Awami League party. The party criticized the other protest faction for attempting to create chaos in the country during Modi's visit. (AP Photo/Mahmud Hossain Opu)
Mahmud Hossain OpuA group of protestors shout slogans and wave shoes after Friday prayers at Baitul Mokarram mosque in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Friday, March 26, 2021. Witnesses said violent clashes broke out after one faction of protesters began waving their shoes as a sign of disrespect to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and another group tried to stop them. Local media said the protesters who tried to stop the shoe-waving are aligned with the ruling Awami League party. The party criticized the other protest faction for attempting to create chaos in the country during Modi's visit. (AP Photo/Mahmud Hossain Opu)
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Vatican won’t say if women can vote in 2023 church meetingOded Balilty
An ultra-Orthodox Jewish man rests after receiving his second dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine at a coronavirus vaccination center set up at a synagogue in Bnei Brak, Israel, Sunday, March. 7, 2021. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)
Oded BaliltyAn ultra-Orthodox Jewish man rests after receiving his second dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine at a coronavirus vaccination center set up at a synagogue in Bnei Brak, Israel, Sunday, March. 7, 2021. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)
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Vatican won’t say if women can vote in 2023 church meetingMahmoud Illean
Nuns pose for a selfie as they mark Palm Sunday on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem, Sunday, March 28, 2021. A year after coronavirus restrictions halted mass gatherings, Christians are celebrating Holy Week together. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)
Mahmoud IlleanNuns pose for a selfie as they mark Palm Sunday on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem, Sunday, March 28, 2021. A year after coronavirus restrictions halted mass gatherings, Christians are celebrating Holy Week together. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)
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Vatican won’t say if women can vote in 2023 church meetingAaron Favila
A Catholic priest walks beside empty pews with lighted candles as he prepares for an online mass to prevent the spread of the coronavirus at the Saint Peter Parish Church in Quezon city, Philippines on Palm Sunday, March 28, 2021. The government banned religious activities during the Holy Week as it enters into stricter lockdown measures starting next week while the country struggles to control an alarming surge in COVID-19 cases. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)
Aaron FavilaA Catholic priest walks beside empty pews with lighted candles as he prepares for an online mass to prevent the spread of the coronavirus at the Saint Peter Parish Church in Quezon city, Philippines on Palm Sunday, March 28, 2021. The government banned religious activities during the Holy Week as it enters into stricter lockdown measures starting next week while the country struggles to control an alarming surge in COVID-19 cases. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)
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Vatican won’t say if women can vote in 2023 church meetingJuan Karita
Palm fronds made into crosses decorated with Jesus Christ lay for sale outside the San Francisco Basilica in La Paz, Bolivia, Sunday, March 28, 2021. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)
Juan KaritaPalm fronds made into crosses decorated with Jesus Christ lay for sale outside the San Francisco Basilica in La Paz, Bolivia, Sunday, March 28, 2021. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)
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Vatican won’t say if women can vote in 2023 church meetingShafkat Anowar
A woman closes her eyes as she prays during a vigil and rally against Asian hate crimes, Friday, March 26, 2021, at Chicago's Horner Park. The event is organized by local Chicago organizations led by Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. (AP Photo/Shafkat Anowar)
Shafkat AnowarA woman closes her eyes as she prays during a vigil and rally against Asian hate crimes, Friday, March 26, 2021, at Chicago's Horner Park. The event is organized by local Chicago organizations led by Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. (AP Photo/Shafkat Anowar)
ROME (AP) — Vatican officials declined on Tuesday to say if women would be able to vote on concrete proposals about the future of the Catholic Church at the end of a two-year process of consultation of ordinary faithful that Pope Francis kicks off next month.
For years, women activists and even nuns have pressed to be able to vote at Synod of Bishops meetings, which bring together the Catholic hierarchy to Rome to discuss pressing issues facing the 1.3-billion strong church.
Francis has sought to make them more inclusive, participatory and reflect on the real-world issues facing ordinary Catholics. But to date women haven’t been able to vote – not even the religious superiors who participate as representatives of the world’s 641,000 nuns.
The Vatican on Tuesday outlined the key steps in the next synod process, which will focus specifically on “synodality” or the decentralized nature of the church and the role of the Catholic laity in it.
The process begins Oct. 10 with a papal Mass in St. Peter’s and ends in October 2023 with the bishops voting on a final document. In between, the Vatican envisions a process of consultation of rank-and-file Catholics at the diocesan level and up through national bishops conferences to hear what Catholics across the board want from their church in the third millennium.
The appointment earlier this year of Sister Natalie Becquart as an undersecretary in the Vatican’s synod office had signaled that she at least would probably be able to cast a vote, since her male predecessors had that right by nature of their office.
But asked Tuesday whether other women invited to the final meeting in October 2023 would be able to cast a ballot, her boss, Maltese Cardinal Mario Grech, refused to say.
Instead, Grech stressed that women could and should participate in the diocesan levels of consultation, and that the aim was consensus.
“This attention to the vote doesn’t leave me serene,” he told reporters. “It’s not the vote that counts.”
Becquart, for her part, didn’t refer to the vote when asked what her hopes were for the process, saying only that women “are part of the People of God.”
“What is very important is that they could be listened to, and protagonists of this synodal process from the beginning,” she said. “It’s an important point that this synod could involve and listen to women.”
Women have long complained that they have a second-class status in the Catholic Church, despite doing the lion’s share of its work teaching in Catholic schools, running Catholic hospitals and passing the faith onto future generations. Francis has appointed a handful of women, including Becquart, to high-ranking Vatican positions and has called for women to have a greater decision-making role in church governance, but he has upheld church doctrine barring women from the priesthood.
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