Catholic women react to the Vatican’s report on women’s leadership

About this episode

Editors at America magazine discuss the Vatican's report on women's leadership in the Catholic Church and its implications.

In March 2026, the Vatican’s doctrine office released its final report on women’s participation in the life and leadership of the Catholic Church. The report brings to a close the two-year work of Study Group 5, which, as part of the Synod on Synodality, was tasked with studying women’s ministries and leadership. In this special roundtable conversation, editors at America magazine discuss the report’s content and proposals, and ask if the document changes the status quo for women in the Catholic Church. Featuring: Ashley McKinless, executive editor and co-host of the “Jesuitical” podcast Kerry Weber, executive editor Colleen Dulle, Vatican correspondent and co-host of the “Inside the Vatican” podcast Molly Cahill, associate editor 0:00 The Vatican’s final report on women and ministry 4:23 Women’s reactions to the report 11:28 New ministries for women? 20:05 The horizons and limits of women’s authority 30:30 Will women be involved in decision-making? Links: ⁠The final synod report on women: what it says, what it means and what’s next⁠ ⁠Where the women deacons question stands at the Vatican⁠ ⁠Full Report of Study Group 5 on “The Participation of Women in the Life and Leadership of…

People in this episode

Host: Ashley McKinless

Guests: Kerry Weber, Colleen Dulle, Molly Cahill

Topics covered

• women's leadership
• Catholic Church
• Vatican report
• women's ministries
• decision-making
• synodality

Keywords

• Vatican report
• women's leadership
• Catholic Church
• synodality
• women's ministries
• decision-making
• Study Group 5

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Vatican, America magazine, Synod on Synodality

Books & works: The final synod report on women, Full Report of Study Group 5 on “The Participation of Women in the Life and Leadership of the Church

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