Three Religious Sisters at the Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops

Three Religious Sisters at the Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops

Sr. Nathalie Becquart (France), Sr Maria Luisa Berzosa (Spain) and Sr Alessandra Smerilli (Italy) have been appointed as consultors to the Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops.

We asked Sr. Nathalie to comment this event: 

“From Chicago, where I am completing a wonderful sabbatical program at CTU, I received this nomination with great surprise as a wonderful gift. This is the first time that women have been appointed as consultors to the General Secretariat of the Synod and I think it reflects Pope Francis’ desire to involve more women – and especially religious women – in the Vatican bodies. I feel supported by the prayer of many with whom I have journeyed  in the Church and I receive this mission in deep communion with all my Xavières sisters and the whole religious life. I also see it as a call for all of us to pursue a common mission to serve a more synodal church to ministry the world of today, a call to work even harder for the necessary Reform of the Church initiated by Pope Francis. And I am also very happy to be appointed with Alessandra Smerili, FMA, and Sr. Maria-Luisa, fi, as well as Cécilia Costa, Fr. Giacomo Costa, SJ and Fr. Rossano Sala, SDB, all of whom were at the last Synod on Young people because we have already experienced good fruitful collaborations with great sisterhood and brotherhood.”