PRESS RELEASES
Women's Ordination Worldwide Open Letter to Pope Leo
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September 17, 2025
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Dear Pope Leo,
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As we gather today in Bingen to celebrate the Feast Day of Saint Hildegard, we found it an appropriate time to send you this letter of welcome from Women’s Ordination Worldwide (WOW).
We recognise that the message of unity is a core tenet of your pontificate. As such, we urge you to consider that without the full equality, dignity and inclusion of women, there can be no unity.
This letter is being sent to you in the spirit of Canon 212.3, ‘According to the knowledge, competence and prestige which they possess, they [the Christian faithful] have the right and even at times the duty to manifest to the sacred pastors their opinion on matters which pertain to the good of the Church and to make their opinion known to the rest of the Christian faithful...’
St Hildegard of Bingen was a visionary leader whom the Church recognises as being deeply attuned to God’s call, which led to her sharing abundant gifts and achieving miracles. She spoke truth to power as inspired by the spirit and, always, for the good of the church. WOW is a movement, inspired by Hildegard’s prophetic wisdom and we urge you to recognize the vocations and talents of women that are still squandered by the church.
We know that you know there is no theological or scriptural impediment to women’s sacramental ministry *. As a Canon lawyer, it must pain you to hear the misogynistic myths claiming women never exercised ministries. In particular, Canon Law 1024, which denies the fact that women receive the same baptism as men; the core qualification for all ministries, as demonstrated by the early followers of Jesus.
We are encouraged by your openness to listen and invite you to meet with us before the end of the Jubilee Year in Rome. You want to meet your Church as you settle into your new role and women make up more than half the church. Meeting with women’s ordination advocates will demonstrate your commitment to unity, because women are not a problem to be solved, we are the solution.
We represent the millions of Catholics – clerics and religious Sisters included – who, during Synodal discussions, spoke boldly in favour of ordaining women to finally recognise them for the ministries they perform while being consigned to the shadows of official structures. When it comes to restoring women to their rightful place as co-leaders in our Church, there is no label of traditionalist or progressive that can divide this movement of the spirit.
As St Hildegard taught us, no environment or structure can survive without the harmonious interconnectedness of all creation. The Catholic Church suffers from a sickness of sexism that resonates throughout and afflicts the whole world.
We know that your desire for justice and a healthy Church will be met with great resistance by a vocal minority of Catholics who want women to remain silent and subordinate. And so, we send you these words from Professor Nicola Slee, inspired by Hildegard’s life:
Dare to declare who you are
It is not far from the shores of silence to the boundaries of speech.
The path is not long, but the way is deep.
You must not only walk there, you must be prepared to leap.
On this synodal path that we have been walking together, we encourage you to make the “leap” to correct the sins of misogyny and patriarchy that afflict the church. The Church now enjoys an unprecedented opportunity to manifest the generous love of Christ before the entire world - let us meet and prepare to do this together
As we stand on holy ground, we send you solidarity and support,
Your sisters in Women’s Ordination Worldwide
* http://womensordinationcampaign.org/vatican-documents/report-of-the-pontifical-biblical-commission-1975
We mourn Pope Francis
For Immediate Release: 21 April, 2025
We mourn the death of Pope Francis. He rejected so much of what had gone before and lived in a way that showed humility.
He made an eloquent and impassioned response to the global climate and ecological crises and exhortation to action through “Laudate Si”.
He was not afraid to enter the political arena where he saw injustice. He was brave and bold in challenging governments and especially those legislating against refugees and asylum seekers. He called for compassion. His last Easter address contained the words “How much contempt is stirred up at times towards the vulnerable, the marginalized, and migrants!”
It is extraordinary, then, that his revolutionary thinking did not extend to women. Women seeking sacramental ordination in the Catholic Church have been rejected. His devotion to St Thérèse of Lisieux is widely known and yet he ignored the part of her autobiography where she describes her call to priesthood. She even rejoiced that she would die before the age when she could test her vocation as it would be so painful for her if she could not do this. Women called to priesthood feel real pain and Francis has not recognised this nor sought to alleviate it.
We thank him for his service as Pope, and pray for a continuation of a Papacy that is outward looking, inclusive, just, and transparent. This is the Jubilee Year of Hope.
The Pope said himself recently that kindness was an important aspect of how we live our lives of Hope. May his successor continue along the same path. May Pope Francis rest in peace.
Ordain Women - YES WE CAN!
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​For Immediate Release: 29 September, 2024
Women’s Ordination Worldwide returns to Rome to appeal to Pope Francis & Synod delegates
Catholic Women’s Ordination (CWO) as a member group of Women’s Ordination Worldwide (WOW) is excited to announce a series of events to take place in Rome during the October 2024 Synod of Bishops.
These events aim to raise global awareness and advocate for the full inclusion of women in the Roman Catholic Church, particularly through priestly ordination. As the Vatican convenes the second session of the Synodal Congress, WOW remains steadfast in its call for the renewal of oppressive systems, and the opening of all doors for the vocations of women to be fully recognized, celebrated, and honoured within the sacramental life of the Church.
Through these creative actions, WOW’s global members will stand as a visible, prayerful, and determined witness to the Church’s urgent need for reform. Key Events in Rome:
Tuesday, 1st October - 3 pm o Prayer vigil: Same Baptism, Same Spirit, Same Calling o Basilica of Saint Praxedis (Via di Santa Prassede, 9/a) & livestreamed https://www.youtube.com/ordainwomen
The synthesis report from the first session of the synod writes: In Christ, women and men are clothed with the same baptismal dignity (Gal 3:28) and receive equally the variety of gifts of the Spirit. We are called together into a communion of loving, noncompetitive relationships in Christ, and to a co-responsibility to be expressed at every level of the Church’s life. Inspired by these themes, we will host a prayer vigil on the eve of the Synod, reflecting on women’s baptismal equality. Featuring the testimonies of women worldwide, we will share stories of vocation, hope, and deep prayer for a church that fully expresses women’s coresponsibility at every level.
Wednesday, October 2nd 8 a.m. - 9 a.m. o “Women Can Be Priests” witness and prayer o Activists will gather along Lungotevere Castello, angolo Largo dei Mutilati Ed Invalidi di Guerra On the opening day of the Synod, advocates for women’s ordination will witness in a colorful and creative way to remind the Vatican that women’s contributions can no longer be dismissed or delayed.
Through art, action, and community, we will embody the spirit of hope and equality. ï‚· Friday, 4th October - afternoon o “Why not me?” Action and Greeting of Synod Delegates Women’s Ordination Worldwide, Women’s Ordination Conference, Catholic Women’s Council and other supporters will gather prayerfully to witness with a simple yet powerful question for participants in the Synod: "Why not me?" Our witness carries the hopes of so many women who long to fulfil their call to ordained ministry. We ask the church to confront the inadequacy and injustice of its prohibition of women’s ordination, and take seriously the gifts, vocations, and baptismal equality of women in the church. We have invited delegates of the synod to stand in solidarity with us. ï‚·
October 2-26, at 7 PM (Rome time), WOW members will gather in solidarity and prayer outside St. Peter’s with baptismal candles, symbolizing our collective commitment to the renewal of the Church. This nightly vigil invites Catholics everywhere to light candles in their own homes and parishes, standing with us in prayer for a more inclusive and collaborative Church.
Catholic Women’s Ordination – Response to Pope Francis interview with CBS 20 May 2024
For Immediate Release: May 21, 2024
We are shocked to hear that Pope Francis has rejected the possibility of women serving as ordained Deacons or members of the clergy. (Interview on CBS news on 20 May)
Many CWO members facilitated the process whereby people from parishes were consulted about their experience of Church and what they would like to see happen. Women’s ordination came up time and time again. A frequently stated concern was that there was no point to the consultation because “no-one listens”. In bypassing the October Synodal process, Pope Francis appears to be proving this to be a valid concern. What happened to “journeying together”?
After a blunt “No” to the question of whether a young Catholic girl would ever have the opportunity to be ordained, Pope Francis stated
“But women have always had, I would say, the function of Deaconesses without being Deacons, right? Women are of great service as women, not as ministers…within the Holy Orders.”
This is insulting. Don’t women and girls experience enough oppression and discrimination in the world? Shouldn’t we expect better treatment from our Church and from this Pope? Why is the Institution still pursuing this misogynist path?
As Francis well knows, many women are called to ordained ministry. They suffer because they cannot test their calling; some have left to become Priests in other denominations and some have followed the Spirit’s call and become Roman Catholic Women Priests. They conduct meaningful ministries within their communities. The Institution’s response – excommunication!
We know that women served as ministers from the very beginning of Catholic Church history in the tradition of the Deacon Phoebe (Rm 16:1). Evidence is readily available for anyone who chooses to remove their misogynist blinkers.
We beg Pope Francis to listen not only to women called to ministry but also to the cries of parishioners throughout the world.
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Catholic Women's Ordination (CWO) is a UK based organisation. For over 30 years, we have prayed and campaigned for ordained priestly ministry for women in a renewed Roman Catholic Church. We commit to demonstrating that the exclusion of women from ordination in the Roman Catholic Church reinforces the oppression and poverty of women and girls around the world
Press Release – Response to the ROME SYNOD 17 November 2023
CWO believes in a reformed, declericalised priesthood for women working alongside men in smaller, less hierarchical communities. We welcomed the Synod discussions about reducing clericalism. Clericalism excludes women, is less transparent and can encourage power being used abusively and it can only be effectively tackled once women are recognised as truly equal to men and restored to shared ministry as peers.
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We want to see decentralisation, with more decision making happening in local areas, responding to local needs. We see glimpses of this in the Early Church tradition upon which our faith is based
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CWO noted there was discussion about Women Deacons but no decisions were made. This is now the third recent attempt to further a case to restore the women’s diaconate. How much longer can this possibly take?
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CWO is, however, ambivalent about Women Deacons because it would likely entail "bolting us on" to the current hierarchical structures but in a way that limits the vocations of women. CWO is concerned that if women are made Deacons it might be a lesser form of the Diaconate without ordination, and with no possibility of consecrating the Eucharist -which is at the centre of Catholicism, the heart of church life and of which parishes are in desperate need.
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CWO is pleased to note that reforming Seminary Training is on the future agenda. Few men are coming forward as candidates for priesthood so we soon envisage vast parishes with occasional brief visits from exhausted priests to say Mass. CWO believes further shortages may in fact accelerate positive change for women's equality in priestly ministry. CWO envisages flourishing, inclusive, active Eucharistic Communities, where women, alongside men, will be ordained in sacramental and pastoral care.
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We support optional celibacy for all priests.
We support inclusive language in the Liturgy.
In conclusion, we support the equality of women in the Catholic Church.
THE MEN ARE TALKING, THE WOMEN ARE WALKING! ADVOCATES FOR WOMEN’S ORDINATION LAUNCH PRAYERFUL DEMONSTRATIONS IN ROME AND RESPOND TO THE DUBIOUS DUBIA: 03 OCTOBER 2023
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14th July 2023
CWO is a "Companion on the Road" to Spirit Unbounded
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“Human Rights in the Catholic Church” event
to Coincide with International Synod in Rome
Spirit Unbounded, a global community of Catholic reform and other Christian and ecumenical networks that share a vision of a just and inclusive church, presents “Human Rights in the Catholic Church,” a weeklong event coinciding with the 16th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops in Rome in October.
The Spirit Unbounded event will take place from 8–14 October 2023 and will feature both live and prerecorded digital presentations. Presentations from 8–12 October will be streamed online, with live and prerecorded presentations on 13–14 October. Gathering spaces in Bristol (UK) and Rome will allow people to attend the event in person.
Keynote speakers Sr. Joan Chittister (USA), Dr. Mary McAleese (Ireland), and Steven Newcomb (Shawnee-Lenape author and scholar) head an expanding international roster with over 70 speakers to date. Presenters include activists, artists, and storytellers alongside academics and theologians. Spirit Unbounded is aiming to represent the diversity of the global church at the event, particularly Indigenous communities, and presenters from Oceania, Central and South America, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. Speakers will address the theme of human rights in the Catholic Church, particularly how the church can move beyond clericalism to better model human rights both within and outside the institution.
Conceived as having “the ambience of a festival rather than a conference,” the event will highlight spiritual, theological, practical, doctrinal, and creative ways to reimagine authority and ministry, re-think ethical questions through the primacy of conscience, and renew a commitment to care for our neighbor and our environment. By linking the principles of justice, equality, and mercy to concrete actions, the event will enhance the synodal journey toward a more Christ-centered church. Additionally, it will offer participants from all over the world an opportunity to connect, share their hopes, and expand a network of reform-minded organizations that will endure beyond the official close of the Synod in 2024.
For all event information, including ticketing for both digital and in-person events and accommodation packages, please see the Spirit Unbounded event page here.
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CWO statement on the Vatican Announcement about
the presence of women at the Synod
28 April 2023
We welcome this first step, and the persistence of campaigning groups like CWO has helped to bring about this positive, initial move. It will make a significant difference to the Sisters in the Dicasteries with specific responsibilities. However, it is not enough for the lay women around the world who want a genuinely synodal church.
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The women will be chosen by Francis on the basis of their knowledge and “general culture and prudence”, the Vatican said. They will be chosen by a male, priestly hierarchy that have vowed before their own ordinations to uphold male only, priestly ordination.
Cardinal Mario Grech, who is running the synod, emphasised that only 21% of the delegates would be non-bishops, stating: “It's an important change, it's not a revolution.”
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We hope Francis will continue to promote able women and men from diverse backgrounds, but we need him to recognise the need for a truly synodal church, and the synodal demand for women priests is high on the list. We want to see this "crack in the stained glass ceiling” brightly illuminated by the knowledge, wisdom and experience within our own and our sister organisations.
Prayers from our Vocation Sunday liturgy at Westminster Cathedral
Women are standing on the “prophetic edge” of the church, denied the opportunity to stand in roles of meaningful leadership or ordained ministry. They have worn out their shoes walking the walk of service and ministry to a church that refuses to recognize their contributions and their callings.
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We pray for those who have gone the extra mile for the church, only to find the door to meaningful leadership and decision-making closed.
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Catholic women are called by God: called to renewed priesthood; called to equality; called to full participation in the leadership of the church.
Catholic Women’s Ordination Press Release
on the death of Cardinal Pell 10th January 2023
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For the second time in recent weeks, our prayers are focussed on survivors of clerical abuse whose trauma is rekindled by the death of Cardinal Pell.
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An article in The Sydney Morning Herald 21 March 2005 concerned a silent
demonstration by women and men about the lack of women in power positions in the Roman Catholic Church. Pell gave a statement to the Herald that women priests would never happen, "not in any lifetime".
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It hasn’t happened in his lifetime but it will.
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The abused children didn't get justice in Pell's lifetime but it will come for all those marginalised and abused by the hierarchical church.
Catholic Women’s Ordination Press Release on the
death of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI 31 December 2022
Pope Benedict, who has died, sadly represented an exclusive male clerical, hierarchical church that forbade women even to discuss women's ordination. He went as far as to define the act of seeking women's ordination, an excommunicable offence during his time as pope, as a grave crime equal to clerical sexual abuse.
He resigned but continued to live in the Vatican, surrounded by clergy who supported his views. His powerful presence may have delayed some of the reforms that CWO still seeks. CWO continues to hope for an inclusive, truly synodal Church that welcomes women and men to use their gifts, including ordination, for the benefit of all.
As we pray for the repose of the soul of Pope Benedict, we pray too for all victims of clerical abuse for whom his death will be a trigger and for those women, throughout the world, whose vocations to the Catholic priesthood continue to be dismissed and blocked.