“He did more than any other pope.” Changes made by Pope Francis who opened new opportunities for women

Pope Francis, who died on Monday at the age of 88, was the Pontiff who brought the most women in Vatican leadership. Although it has opened decision -making spaces in the structure of the Catholic Church, it avoided advance in the direction of the ordination of women, leaving behind a complex inheritance, marked by historical steps, but also by the limits of a tradition that is still difficult to clint, writes Reuters.

Throughout his pontificate started in 2013, Pope Francis named several women than ever in leadership positions in the structure of the Catholic Church.

The last decision came from the hospital, in February 2025, when he named Sister Raffaella Petrini in a position equivalent to the Vatican governor. Was the first woman named in this position. A few weeks before, the Pope had made another historical appointment: Sister Simona Brambilla was chosen to lead a Vatican department responsible for religious orders around the world, writes Reuters.

“He has done more than any other pope to ensure that women are included in greater numbers and in higher authority positions,” said Anna Rowlands, a teacher at Durham University and occasional counselor of the Vatican. “And yet, most of this change occurred within the limits of the existing system, flexing (only) a little,” Rowlands added.

Women in key posts

The first appointment made it in 2016 when Barbara Jatta became the first woman director of the Vatican museums. In 2021, Sister Nathalie Becquart was called co-undersetist of the Synod of bishops, with a voting rights-a premiere. A year later, Sister Alessandra Smerilli was promoted in the second position as importance in the Department for Integral Human Development.

Pope Francis also included two women in the commission that select the bishops – exclusively male structure until then.

“So, things start to open a little,” he told Reuters in 2022, according to the quoted source.

At the 2024 synod, almost 60 women participated along with 300 cardinals, bishops and priests, with full voting rights – another premiere.

“Francis has brought the conversation about women to the church to a new level and we can only hope that his efforts to learn the world of each person will bear fruit in these troubled times,” said Phyllis Zagano, a member of the first commission on the female deacon, writes Reuters.

Commissions without conclusion

Despite these steps, the Pope avoided approaching the ordination of women. He set up two commissions to analyze whether women can be deacons – a clerical role without the right to celebrate the Liturgy. None led to a clear conclusion, and the report of the first commission was not published, according to the quoted source.

“It is the first pope fully aware that the Church suffers from a flagrant and deeply unfair imbalance between men and women,” said Paola Lazzarini, activist for the reform of the Church. “His way of responding to this injustice was by individual appointments and commissions that lasted endlessly and did not lead to anything,” she continued.

The reason why she refused the women's ordination

In addition to the institutional reforms, Francis was a vocal supporter of the causes that deeply affect women – from human trafficking to economic exploitation.

However, he had statements that were described as “outdated”. For example, in 2024, in a visit to Belgium, he spoke about “fertility, care and devotion of the woman”, which attracted criticism that he has conservative opinions, from the Catholic University where he gave the discourse.

Later, asked about the refusal to ordain women, the pope replied that he was afraid of “a masculinity in the skirt”.

“Sometimes it seemed to be striving to find a suitable language and, indeed, sometimes he made jokes that did not help,” Rowlands said. “But it was dedicated to causes that deeply affect women, and for this he won the admiration of many.”

“Overall, Francis helped the cause of women in the church,” says Natalia Imperori-lee, a teacher at Manhattan College.

“By promoting women in positions of decision in the Vatican and by allowing discussions about the female deacon, he opened doors that were previously closed,” according to Reuters.

An inheritance in a fragile balance

The Conversation emphasizes that Pope Francis reforms must be understood in the context of a long history of excluding women in the management of the Church. In the first centuries of Christianity, women had significant roles – they were deacons, prophets (women who transmitted divine messages and had spiritual authority in the community) and leaders of religious communities. However, as the institutionalized church, the clerical authority became exclusively male, and the influence of women has restricted to the spiritual field, without access to governance or doctrinal decision.

“Francis's reforms were at the same time a step forward and a reminder of the structural barriers that persist in the church,” notes the quoted source.

Although the pontiff has promoted women in important functions -including in the commission that selects bishops or in top administrative roles -the ordination remained excluded from the public debate. The priesthood, cardinal and papacy remain strictly masculine areas.

The quoted source concludes that, despite these openings, “the fight for authority, patriarchy and the place of women in the Catholic Church is far from completed.”