Roman Catholic Women Priests
Africa Asia Europe North America South America
3221 Pink Oak Terrace
Sarasota, Florida 34237
May 17, 2025
Your Holiness,
With hearts full of prayer and hope we, as Roman Catholic Women Bishops, write to you on behalf of the priests and the people they serve within inclusive Catholic communities across North America, South America, Europe, Africa and Asia. We offer you our warmest blessings as you begin your sacred ministry as Bishop of Rome and pastor to the global Catholic Church. Be assured of our sisterly love and care for you.
We give thanks for your election at this pivotal moment in history, when the world—and the Church—yearn for healing, justice, and inclusion. We are especially heartened by your longstanding advocacy for immigrants, the poor, and those on the margins. As bishops called by the Spirit to serve in inclusive Catholic communities, we resonate deeply with your expressed desire to walk closely with the People of God.
In this spirit of communion, we humbly and joyfully ask you to dialogue with us about our call to ordain women in a renewed priestly ministry. We serve vibrant communities where the Gospel is proclaimed, the sacraments are celebrated, and the radical equality of the baptized is lived. Our ministries extend to intentional faith communities, house churches, shelters, prisons, migrant communities, and social media—wherever God’s people seek nourishment and hope.
These communities are inclusive of all, without condition or exclusion. They are affirming of LGBTQ+ persons and welcoming of divorced and remarried Catholics. They are led through shared discernment rather than hierarchical decree, and are devoted to ecological justice, racial equity, and solidarity with the poor.
We urge you to consider the countless women—past and present—who have been marginalized, silenced, or excluded from meaningful participation in Church leadership and sacramental life. Too many have left the Church wounded, unheard, and unseen. Yet the need for pastoral presence is urgent, and the gifts of women serving as deacons and priests are abundant.
As bishops serving within the Roman Catholic Women Priests movement, we ask you to take bold and healing steps: rescind Canon 1379 §3, which penalizes those of us ordained in fidelity to the Spirit; lift the penalty of excommunication from women who have answered the call to priesthood; and recognize the equal dignity and spiritual authority of women within the Body of Christ.
Your Holiness, you have spoken of building bridges. Our communities have been doing this for years—welcoming those whom the institutional Church has too often left behind. We pray that your papacy will be marked by courageous listening, inclusive discernment, and a bold reimagining of the Church that Jesus envisioned: one where all are truly one in Christ, and no one is denied their place at the table. We look forward to mutual dialogue where our family of sisters and brothers come together open to the breath of the Spirit in whom all things are made new.
May the breath of the Holy Spirit expand our vision and continue to guide all of us as we co-create a Church that more fully reflects the justice, compassion, and joy of the Gospel.
With prayerful solidarity and sincere hope, we are:
Olga Lucia Alvarez ARCWP-Colombia
Marie Bouclin RCWP -Canada
Mary Eileen Collingwood ARCWP-USA
Merlene Doko RCWP-USA
Gisela Forster RCWP-Germany
Teresa Hanlon RCWP-Canada (bishop elect)
Paula Hoeffer RCWP-USA (bishop-elect)
Andrea Johnson RCWP-USA
Jane Kryzanowski RCWP-Canada
Christine Mayr-Lumetzberger RCWP-Austria
Jean Marchant RCWP-USA
Bridget Mary Meehan ARCWP-USA
Nancy Meyer RCWP-USA
Christina Moreira ARCWP-Spain (bishop elect)
Ida Raming RCWP-Germany
Sibyl Reynolds ARCWP-USA
Martha Sherman RCWP-USA
Suzanne Thiel RCWP-USA
Jane Via RCWP-USA
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 17, 2025
Roman Catholic Women Bishops Call for Dialogue with Pope Leo XIV on Inclusive Ministry and Women’s Ordination
SARASOTA, FL— In a heartfelt and historic message, a coalition of Roman Catholic Women Bishops from across the globe has extended their blessings and an invitation for dialogue to Pope Leo XIV, urging him to embrace a renewed vision of Church that includes the full participation of women in ordained ministry.
The bishops—representing inclusive Catholic communities throughout North America, South America, Europe, Africa, and Asia—expressed their deep hope for a papacy marked by healing, justice, and courageous listening.
“We offer you our warmest blessings as you begin your sacred ministry as Bishop of Rome and pastor to the global Catholic Church,” the letter states. “Be assured of our sisterly love and care for you.”
The women bishops affirmed Pope Leo XIV’s long-standing advocacy for immigrants, the poor, and the marginalized, noting how their ministries align with this same Gospel commitment. They minister in diverse contexts—house churches, shelters, prisons, migrant communities, and online spaces—where the sacraments are celebrated and radical inclusion is lived.
“Our communities are inclusive of all, without condition or exclusion,” the bishops wrote. “They are affirming of LGBTQ+ persons and welcoming of divorced and remarried Catholics. They are led through shared discernment rather than hierarchical decree, and are devoted to ecological justice, racial equity, and solidarity with the poor.”
In a bold appeal, the bishops called on Pope Leo XIV to take specific steps toward justice and reconciliation by lifting excommunication against those ordained in the Roman Catholic Women Priests Movement:
• Rescind Canon 1379 §3, which penalizes those ordained in the Roman Catholic Women Priests movement.
• Lift the penalty of excommunication from women who have answered the call to priesthood.
• Recognize the equal dignity and spiritual authority of women within the Body of Christ.
“We urge you to consider the countless women—past and present—who have been marginalized, silenced, or excluded from meaningful participation in Church leadership,” they wrote. “The need for pastoral presence is urgent, and the gifts of women serving as deacons and priests are abundant.”
The signatories include 19 women bishops affiliated with the Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests (ARCWP) and the Roman Catholic Women Priests (RCWP) movements https://www.romancatholicwomenpriests.org/
—two international networks advocating for justice and equality by ordaining women in apostolic succession.
“You have spoken of building bridges,” the bishops told Pope Leo. “Our communities have been doing this for years—welcoming those whom the institutional Church has too often left behind.”
In closing, they prayed for the guidance of the Holy Spirit and expressed sincere hope for a Church that reflects the Gospel's justice, compassion, and joy.
Media Contact:
Bridget Mary Meehan ARCWP
Sofiabmm.bmm@gmail.com
+1703-505-0004
To find out more about our women priests and our early ministries visit
https://bridgetmarys.blogspot.com/2025/05/women-priests-in-inclusive-ministries.html
Two Documentary Films:
See new award-winning film released in 2025: The Forbidden Call: https://javafilms.fr/film/the-forbidden-call/
and award -winning documentary about early days of movement - Pink Smoke Over the Vatican- now available on youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrY6gy3dvLc
and on Vimeo : https://vimeo.com/1079591922?share=copy#t=0
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