A group of Catholic women has launched a 40-day strike during Lent to protest their exclusion from ordained ministry in the Church. Organized by the Women’s Ordination Conference, the strike calls on women to withhold their time, labor, and financial contributions from the Church to emphasize their significance in its operations.
The decision follows growing frustration over the Catholic Church’s stance on women’s leadership roles, particularly after the Synod on Synodality, a global consultation process that ran from 2021 to 2024. Research from the synod revealed that many Catholics across parishes and dioceses support an expanded role for women in Church decision-making. However, ahead of the synod’s final meeting in Rome, Pope Francis stated that the issue of female deacons was “not yet mature” and instead commissioned a study group to examine the matter further.
Currently, women constitute 80 percent of ecclesiastical ministers in the Catholic Church, yet they remain barred from priesthood and deaconry.
Kate McElwee, executive director of the Women’s Ordination Conference, explained the motivation behind the strike: “We’re calling the women of the Catholic Church to join together in striking from sexism. Following the Synod on Synodality and the lack of concrete actions for women and women’s greater participation in the life of the church, there was a lot of disappointment, anger, and heartbreak.”
However, not all Catholic women are supporting the movement. A Denver-based Catholic woman told Religion News that she sympathizes with the cause but has chosen not to participate. “I will not withhold my ministry because, to me, it would hurt other people. It would hurt mostly the women that I work alongside, because their workload would double,” she said.
Others believe the key to change lies in increasing female representation in leadership roles. “Having more girls grow up seeing the likes of Bishop Mariann Budde, what she said from the pulpit, that’s what I want,” one supporter remarked.
As the strike continues through Lent, it remains to be seen whether this movement will prompt further discussions on the role of women in the Catholic Church.
