French Nun Hopes to Bring Change to Catholic Church
2023-06-24
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1Nathalie Becquart is a 54-year-old nun from France.
2She is also an experienced sailor who has led young people to spiritual gatherings at sea.
3In 2021, Pope Francis, the leader of the Roman Catholic Church, named her as the first female undersecretary in the Vatican's Synod of Bishops office.
4A synod is a meeting of bishops, who make up the Church's leadership around the world.
5In the synod, the bishops look at information and advise the Pope on important issues.
6The bishops, like all clergy in the Catholic Church, are men.
7Since 2021, Becquart has traveled around the world to learn more about what people in the church want and need.
8This week, the church published a working document with some of the issues the synod will discuss when it meets in October.
9Becquart says that everywhere she went, there were calls for change.
10This includes calls for women to have some decision-making power in the synod.
11She told The Associated Press, "It's about how could we be men and women together in this society, in this church..."
12For 2,000 years, the Catholic Church's teachings have barred women from becoming priests or church leaders.
13Some women now feel more hopeful under Pope Francis and possible changes from the synod.
14However, conservatives in the church worry it could weaken the tradition of male leadership.
15Both Becquart and Francis see the criticism as a good thing.
16They think it shows the church is working on big and important issues.
17The 86-year-old Francis has already done more than any modern pope to support women in the church.
18He has permitted women to take part in some religious services usually performed by men.
19He has changed the Vatican's founding constitution to let women lead church offices.
20And Becquart is one of several women who serve in leadership positions.
21Under church rules, the undersecretary can vote in the synod.
22That means Becquart will be the first woman to do so.
23And in April, the Vatican announced that 70 non-bishops would also be voting.
24Half of them were expected to be women.
25While that is less than 25 percent of the bishops' votes, it shows the Pope's belief that church leadership can include people who are not priests.
26Becquart joined her community of nuns, the Xaviere Sisters, when she was 26.
27She held several leadership positions with the French church including its programs for young people.
28Becquart said women who came before her in the Vatican and in her religious community help her to feel strong.
29She also talked about the example of her grandmother, whose husband died when she was pregnant with her fourth child.
30She said she learned that women "carry on this message that life is stronger than death."
31She uses this lesson when sailing at sea.
32"There will be good weather and bad weather, quiet seas and then big waves," she said. But the storm will end.
33"That's our life and that's the life of the church," she added.
34Jean-Marie Guénois has known Becquart for years.
35He writes about religion for the French newspaper Le Figaro.
36Guénois said it would be a huge change if her work at the synod brings equal power for women in the church's leadership.
37However, he said, "It takes more than 20 months to change the habits of 20 centuries."
38I'm Andrew Smith.
1Nathalie Becquart is a 54-year-old nun from France. She is also an experienced sailor who has led young people to spiritual gatherings at sea. 2In 2021, Pope Francis, the leader of the Roman Catholic Church, named her as the first female undersecretary in the Vatican's Synod of Bishops office. 3A synod is a meeting of bishops, who make up the Church's leadership around the world. In the synod, the bishops look at information and advise the Pope on important issues. The bishops, like all clergy in the Catholic Church, are men. 4Since 2021, Becquart has traveled around the world to learn more about what people in the church want and need. This week, the church published a working document with some of the issues the synod will discuss when it meets in October. 5Becquart says that everywhere she went, there were calls for change. This includes calls for women to have some decision-making power in the synod. She told The Associated Press, "It's about how could we be men and women together in this society, in this church..." 6For 2,000 years, the Catholic Church's teachings have barred women from becoming priests or church leaders. Some women now feel more hopeful under Pope Francis and possible changes from the synod. However, conservatives in the church worry it could weaken the tradition of male leadership. 7Both Becquart and Francis see the criticism as a good thing. They think it shows the church is working on big and important issues. 8The 86-year-old Francis has already done more than any modern pope to support women in the church. He has permitted women to take part in some religious services usually performed by men. He has changed the Vatican's founding constitution to let women lead church offices. And Becquart is one of several women who serve in leadership positions. 9Under church rules, the undersecretary can vote in the synod. That means Becquart will be the first woman to do so. And in April, the Vatican announced that 70 non-bishops would also be voting. Half of them were expected to be women. 10While that is less than 25 percent of the bishops' votes, it shows the Pope's belief that church leadership can include people who are not priests. 11Becquart joined her community of nuns, the Xaviere Sisters, when she was 26. She held several leadership positions with the French church including its programs for young people. 12Becquart said women who came before her in the Vatican and in her religious community help her to feel strong. She also talked about the example of her grandmother, whose husband died when she was pregnant with her fourth child. She said she learned that women "carry on this message that life is stronger than death." 13She uses this lesson when sailing at sea. "There will be good weather and bad weather, quiet seas and then big waves," she said. But the storm will end. 14"That's our life and that's the life of the church," she added. 15Jean-Marie Guénois has known Becquart for years. He writes about religion for the French newspaper Le Figaro. Guénois said it would be a huge change if her work at the synod brings equal power for women in the church's leadership. 16However, he said, "It takes more than 20 months to change the habits of 20 centuries." 17I'm Andrew Smith. 18Nicole Winfield and Trisha Thomas wrote this story for The Associated Press. Andrew Smith adapted it for VOA Learning English. 19____________________________________________________________________ 20Words in This Story 21nun -n. a female member of a religious order, especially ones who promise to obey special rules of poverty or chastity 22priest -n. a member of the Christian clergy who leads religious services 23habit -n. a routine behavior 24____________________________________________________________________ 25We want to hear from you. 26We have a new comment system. Here is how it works: 27Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here.