Pope Francis and Women: The Ambivalences of a Pontificate

At the beginning of Pope Francis’ pontificate, many Catholics expressed hopes for substantial changes for women in the Church. Pope Francis has taken up these expectations and speaks more than any pope before him about ‘women in the Church’. On the one hand, he refers to gender stereotypes and the corresponding complementarity of women and men; on the other hand, the idea of reciprocal relationships is becoming increasingly important to him. Changes in his pontificate concern the liturgy and women in leadership positions, while with regard to the sacramental ordination of women, the door is still closed. Since the Synod on Synodality, however, there seems to have been renewed movement on the issue of the sacramental ordination of women deacons. During his pontificate, Pope Francis had to confront the abuse of women religious in the Church, which has now become public knowledge. Changes to canon law and the intention to define spiritual abuse as an offense are evidence of efforts to combat these offenses committed by clerics. During Francis’ pontificate, new reform-oriented women’s networks have emerged, and the established women’s organizations have expanded their forms of action.