The French Nathalie Becquart, a 52-year-old nun, has just been appointed undersecretary of the synod of bishops.
She will be the first woman to be able to vote at this institution, which studies the major doctrinal questions within the Catholic institution.
A symbolic gesture towards more representation of women in the Vatican.
INTERVIEW
A breakthrough in the Church.
On February 6, Pope Francis appointed the French Nathalie Becquart to the post of Under-Secretary of the Synod of Bishops.
She thus becomes the first woman to hold this position and to be able to vote at this institution, which will be held in October 2022 and which aims to discuss major issues within the Catholic Church.
An appointment experienced as a "call" and "a mission" for the fiftieth birthday, she confides at the microphone of Europe 1, live from the Vatican.
And a strong gesture which reflects the evolution of the company.
"The place of women has changed for a century", assures the nun.
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"It's something that is beyond me, that fell on me, that had never been imagined," says Nathalie Becquart.
"It invites a lot of confidence. And then, I really live it first and foremost, especially as a service."
A strong symbol
This appointment has an important symbolic charge within the Catholic institution and seems to reflect the will of the Pope to continue the reform of the synod and the opening of the Church to women and the laity, in a context of evolution of society. and vocation crisis.
"This decision of Pope Francis, which is nevertheless daring because it inscribes at the same time a form of novelty, comes in response to aspirations, exchanges, debates in the Church which called, in a very strong way , to more responsibility for women in the Church, in the field ", comments Nathalie Becquart.
"They are already very present in many places, but the challenge is to involve them more in the decision-making process. And these are aspirations carried by many people around the world, not only women, but also men and women. in different worlds, economic and political. "
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"It's a symbol"
Since the announcement of her new functions, Nathalie Becquart has received many messages, from men and women of the Church but also from non-believers and friends of other religions, to congratulate her on this journey.
"I am very touched through this, to feel deeply connected to all these people. I feel that I am called to live this responsibility today by being very close to everyone and completely connected to this people of God", confides- she, at the microphone of Europe 1.
Belonging and voting in this very closed circle is a source of hope for many women who aspire to more responsibilities in the Vatican.
"The Church is at the heart of society. The place of women has changed for a century and it continues to move", affirms Nathalie Becquart, pointing to the role of nuns: nearly 440,000 women in the world, on the field "close to people, to serve them through education, hospitals".
"They are also to work in many positions in the Vatican", recalls the nun.
"You know that in the Roman Curia today there are not far from 25 women. And that is changing little by little."
A synod to be prepared for October 2022
The synod, responsible for studying major doctrinal questions since 1965, is led by "synod fathers" (bishops or cardinals) having the right to vote.
It also has auditors and experts, without the right to vote.
A nun of the Xavières congregation, Nathalie Becquart, 52, had been a "consultant" since 2019.
The HEC graduate, a student in theology, philosophy and recently specialized in ecclesiology, describes her mission as "a management team effort" to prepare for this next meeting of debates and reflections in eight months.
"We are not going to run out of work: the task is in front of us," she jokes.
"The goal of a synod is to reach a consensus, to create communion", she recalls.
"So, in fact, the vote only comes at the end. If the process has worked well, almost everything is voted unanimously at the end."
She directed in France the National Service for the Evangelization of Young People and Vocations of the Conference of Bishops of France from 2012 to 2018 and published several essays including
Religious, Why?
This life is worth it
and
Now is the right time - Five views of women on the crisis.
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This next assembly devoted precisely to "synodality", a plurality of reality in the Church, should allow the evocation of these openings within the Catholic institution, in particular vis-à-vis women. A desire carried and expressed by Pope Francis, ensures the new undersecretary of the synod of bishops. "He makes a certain number of gestures. Now, the changes in mentality, the conversion of the ways of functioning in many places, it takes time. It is a question of continuing to seek together paths which will allow this mutual respect, this equality and especially this common work. I believe that today, especially in times of crisis, it is diversity that will allow us to find the paths. "