Pope Francis has done more for women working in the Vatican than any Pope before him according to an author and journalist from Vatican Radio.
Austrian journalist Gudrun Sailer said that: "There is a fresh wind blowing in the Vatican as far as women's concerns are concerned."
She told the Association of Catholic Publicists in Austria on a visit to Vienna that the 'Francis effect' is being felt throughout.
Gudrun Sailer continued, saying the role of women in the Church is one of a number of 'construction sites' Francis has opened up in the Vatican.
She said that despite the pontiff not being able to give any concrete answers, he had already "done more than any other Pope" when it came to women, according to The Tablet.
She mentioned that one of his key features was to encourage the Church to push forward "rather than aim at a final clarification".
Around 750 women work in the Vatican, meaning around one fifth of all employees are female: "And they are not doing the cleaning jobs - those are done by men. Most of the women are academics," she said.
There are large number of women working as art historians, office heads and journalists as well as archivists.
A Monthly Gift Of $11 Makes A World Of Difference
In a world of fake news there’s never been a greater need for quality Christian journalism. Premier’s mission is to provide the Church with the most up to date and relevant news, told from a Christian perspective. But we can’t do it without you.
Unlike many websites we haven't put up a paywall — we want to keep our journalism free at the point of need and as open as we can. Premier’s news output takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce. No one in the USA is sharing news like we are across radio, magazines and online so please help us to continue that today.
For a monthly gift of $11 or more we’d also be able to send you a free copy of the brand new Premier Bible, a wonderful Anglicised version of the NLT packed with exclusive bonus content, reading plan and resources to help you get the most out of scripture.
Your monthly support will make a world of difference. Thank you.
Support Us
Article by Hannah Tooley
Hannah Tooley is a multimedia journalist for Premier.
