Since the beginning of his pontificate in 2013, Pope Francis has demonstrated a pastoral commitment to enhancing the participation of women in the life and governance of the Catholic Church. While the Church’s doctrinal position on priestly ordination remains unchanged, his papacy marks a significant evolution in both discourse and practice concerning women’s roles within ecclesial structures. Notably, Francis has taken substantial steps toward greater inclusion of women in Church decision-making processes. His papacy has witnessed notable shifts in attitude, language, and institutional structures that signal a broader recognition of women’s contributions to the Church—an element that may become central to his legacy. Pope Francis appointed more women to leadership positions in the Vatican than any of his predecessors. He challenged long-standing traditions within the Roman Catholic Church by bringing women into roles previously considered categorically off-limits within an institution historically dominated by men.
Christianity’s early history presents a more nuanced narrative about women’s roles than is often assumed. In the early Christian communities, women held significant leadership positions. They served as deacons, prophets, and patrons of religious communities. However, as the Church became increasingly institutionalized, male leadership consolidated its authority, gradually marginalizing women. By the medieval period, women exercised spiritual influence as mystics, abbesses, and theologians, though their authority was largely limited to religious devotion rather than ecclesial governance. This distinction reinforced the patriarchal structures of the Church, allowing women to shape religious life without influencing doctrine or administration.
By the early modern period, women’s exclusion from Church leadership had become more entrenched. The Counter-Reformation further solidified clerical patriarchy, centralizing authority within the male clergy. Formerly powerful abbesses saw their authority curtailed as the Vatican tightened its control. In the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries, women remained active in education, missionary work, and social justice efforts but were systematically excluded from shaping Church policies or contributing to theological discourses.
The Second Vatican Council (1962–1965) acknowledged the importance of women in the Church and expanded their roles in lay ministries. However, despite recognizing their contributions, the Council stopped short of granting women real authority. They remained on the periphery of institutional power, even as secular institutions increasingly responded to second-wave feminism and calls for gender reform. The Catholic Church, by contrast, remained largely resistant to these broader social changes.
Against this historical backdrop, Pope Francis’s reforms represent both a step forward and a reminder of the Church’s persistent structural barriers. His first major initiative regarding the potential inclusion of women in ordained ministry came in 2016, when he established a commission to study the historical role of female deacons and explore the possibility of reinstating the female diaconate. However, the commission faced internal disagreements, and in 2019, Pope Francis acknowledged that it had failed to reach a consensus. A new commission was established in 2020 with broader international and theological representation of women. While the issue remains unresolved, and the Vatican announced in 2024 that the commission would resume its work, Pope Francis has repeatedly reaffirmed that priestly ordination remains “reserved for men.”
Nevertheless, Francis has expanded opportunities for women’s participation in Church governance in other significant ways. In 2021, he issued Spiritus Domini, formally amending canon law to allow women to serve as lectors and acolytes—liturgical roles traditionally reserved for men. While this reform did not confer clerical status, it officially recognized the longstanding contributions of women in these ministries.
He also made unprecedented appointments that increased women’s visibility and authority in Vatican leadership. Notably, Sister Nathalie Becquart was appointed as an under-secretary of the Synod of Bishops, making her the first woman to hold voting rights in the Synod. In 2022, he named several women to the Dicastery for Bishops, granting them a voice in the selection of new bishops—an area previously dominated entirely by male clergy.
Shortly before his death, Francis continued to demonstrate his commitment to integrating women into Church governance. In January 2025, he appointed Sister Simona Brambilla as Prefect of the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life—the first woman to lead a major Vatican department. This was followed by the elevation of Sister Raffaella Petrini to her role as Governor of Vatican City State, overseeing the city’s infrastructure, institutions, and daily operations—responsibilities traditionally managed by male clergy. These groundbreaking appointments, once unthinkable, signify a cautious but meaningful shift in the Church’s approach to female leadership.
Despite these reforms, the Church’s patriarchal core remains largely intact, and the issue of women’s ordination continues to be excluded from official consideration. Regardless of how influential individual women may become, they remain barred from the highest levels of ecclesiastical authority. The papacy, the College of Cardinals, and the priesthood continue to be exclusively male domains. Pope Francis’s approach follows a longstanding pattern of gradual, incremental reform in the Church’s stance on women’s leadership. The ongoing struggle over power, patriarchy, and women’s place in the Catholic Church remains far from resolved.
Pope Francis led a period of cautious but notable reform, opening doors that had long been closed. Yet, following his death, the permanence of these changes is uncertain. His papacy may well mark the beginning of a transformative era in Catholic history. Alternatively, it may prove to be a unique, short-lived chapter in the Church’s complex relationship with women’s leadership. It is now up to Pope Leo XIV to determine which path the Church will follow.