The undersecretary of the Synod of Bishops, Sister Nathalie Becquart, was elected one of the most influential women in the world by the business magazine Forbes. In early May she will also visit Switzerland as part of the Einsiedler Impulstage.
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More specifically, Forbes magazine named French nun Nathalie Becquart (53) one of the 50 most powerful women over 50. Forbes particularly emphasized Becquart's influence in her role as undersecretary of the Synod of Bishops at the Vatican.
Women’s suffrage in the Synod of Bishops opens doors
As undersecretary, Becquart leads the global synodal process, which will culminate in the second general synodal assembly in Rome in October 2024. In February 2021, she was one of the first women to be given the right to vote in a synod of bishops. Mario Grech, general secretary of the Synod of Bishops, said at the time: “With the appointment of Sister Nathalie Becquart and the possibility of her participating with the right to vote, a door has been opened.”
There is no female priesthood for now
As for discussions around the issue of female priesthood, she said in December 2022, before the World Synod, that this is not currently a problem for the Catholic Church. “It’s not just about feeling called to the priesthood, but always recognizing that the Church has called you to be a priest,” Becquart said. Personal feeling or personal decision were not enough. Ahead of the World Synod at the Vatican in October 2023, she called for a debate on the situation of women in the Catholic Church. She emphasized that it is not just about the issue of women in the Catholic Church, “but also about the participation of women in general – in different religions and in society as a whole”.
Pope Francis and Sister Nathalie Becquart
Lecture at Einsiedeln Monastery
In May, the French nun will also participate in the impulse days at the Einsiedeln Monastery, in Switzerland. Becquart will give the introductory talk at Einsiedler Impulstage on the topic “How does the church renew itself?” on May 2nd and 3rd and will then participate in the panel discussion.
Nathalie Becquart belongs to the religious community “Institut La Xavière”, founded in 1963. Becquart studied management at HEC in Paris, considered one of the best management universities in the world. She then studied theology and philosophy at the Center Sèvres in Paris. She completed additional studies in sociology at the École des hautes études en sciences sociales (EHESS) in Paris and in ecclesiology with a focus on synodality research at the Boston College School of Theology and Ministry.
(kath.ch – vn)