Leo XIV appoints religious sister – lobbying for female ordinations – to senior leadership position in the Roman Curia.
On October 8, Pope Leo XIV appointed Sister Mary Teresa Barron as Adjunct Secretary of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Evangelization and President of the Pontifical Mission Societies. The Pontifical Mission Societies is a global network supporting missionary activity, particularly in Africa, Asia, Oceania and parts of Latin America.
Born in Ireland, Sr. Mary became a member of the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Apostles. The missionary congregation was founded in Lyon, France, in 1876 for evangelization, particularly in Africa.
“Some women sense a call to priesthood”
At a Vatican press conference during the Synod on Synodality in 2024, Sister Barron argued for the ordination of women:
“Is the Spirit calling women? Because some women do sense a call to priesthood or diaconate.”
Sister Barron believes that “we have to look at broader than just can or can we not from a theological or a canonical point of view, but in terms of the spirit calling to ministry today and in terms … of the needs of mission today.”
Iin November 2024, theologian Richard DeClue challenged her emphasis on women's perceived vocations. He argued that a personal sense of being called does not establish an authentic divine vocation.
She prayed for women in Vatican leadership
When Francis appointed Sister Barron to the Dicastery for Evangelization in June 2024, she described the appointment as “an important acknowledgment of the centrality of women to an authentic expression of Church in our time.”
When he appointed Sister Simona Brambilla in January 2025 as the first woman prefect of a Vatican dicastery, Barron said: “I have been waiting and praying for this day.”
#newsGeitmatnbz