"Pope Francis Grants Women Voting Rights at Bishops' Meeting"

Pope Francis has ordered unprecedented changes for the Vatican's upcoming Synod of Bishops in Rome, allowing women to have a voice and voting power at the assembly, as well as non-clergy believers. The move is significant given that among the discussion topics will be the role of women in the church. While the number of women empowered to speak and vote is relatively small, it is a marked change from a synod conducted in 2019, when women's religious orders were invited to attend as observers but not as voting members.