STRASBOURG, August 2, 2013 (C-FAM) European ministers disappointed abortion groups last month when they failed to say that abortion is a human right. They cited lack of consensus in Europe.

Part one: Activities of the PACE (Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe)

Part two: A Selection of Documents

Part three: COING (Conference of international NGO)  Activities - WUCWO Activities

The second 2014 session of the Council of Europe took place from 7th to 11th of April in Strasbourg, France.

Part one : Activities of the PACE (Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe)

Part two : A Selection of Documents

Part Three : COING (Conference of international NGO) Activities

The third 2014 session of the Council of Europe took place from 22nd to 26th of June in Strasbourg, France.

Part one : Activities of the PACE (Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe)

Part two : A Selection of Documents

Part Three : COING (Conference of international NGO) Activities

Click here to read an update on the European Parliament's stance on surrogacy (only available in French)

Pope Francis' great legacy to the women of WUCWO

Thank you for your trust in us!

With deep sorrow, but also with a heart full of gratitude, the World Union of Catholic Women's Organisations (WUCWO) joins the whole world in prayer for the soul of our dear Pope Francis, who showed us so much love and appreciation throughout his pontificate. I still clearly remember the words he addressed to us at the private audience he gave to about 1500 women of our organisation in 2023. On that occasion he said: "And if we want to know what humanity is without woman, what man is without woman, we have it in the first page of the Bible: loneliness. Man without woman is alone. Humanity without woman is alone. A culture without women is lonely. Where there is no woman, there is loneliness, arid loneliness that breeds sadness and all manner of harm to humanity."

Let us journey together, in hope, towards the light of the Risen Christ 

Dear friends of WUCWO,

we are in the midst of Lent, a sacred time that the Church offers us to prepare our hearts and open ourselves to God's grace. In a little more than two weeks we will begin the Holy Week and then Easter. A few days ago, our Ecclesiastical Assistant sent us a message about the beauty of the meaning of Lent.  I, for my part, would like us to encourage each other to live this last part of the journey consciously. It often happens that, as Lent progresses, we become discouraged or forget the resolutions we had set ourselves. That is why I think it is important to live this moment in unity, to strengthen our good intentions.

May no one be deprived of God's forgiveness and consolation

Jubilee 2025

Dear friends of WUCWO:

Last December 24, Pope Francis crossed the Holy Door of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome; a moment that surely went unnoticed by many of us, but which had great symbolic force for the entire Catholic Church. It was the beginning of the Jubilee Year 2025, which will last until 6 January 2026. We are all invited to imitate the Holy Father and participate as pilgrims of hope throughout the year, even if we cannot do so physically in a Jubilee Church, because there are many ways of taking part. The important thing is to understand what this year is and represents, to be able to benefit from all the graces that the Lord's mercy offers us and to respond to the call to live the ‘hope that does not disappoint’.

Let us be drawn to hope! 

Dear WUCWO friends, 

there is no doubt that time flies and, almost without realising it, the year is almost over. A year undoubtedly with many challenges, but also with great achievements for which we must give thanks to the Lord. As Church, the final document of the Synodal Assembly, which gathers the fruit of 3 years of work, is, as Pope Francis says, a gift for all the People of God and for the world. The Jubilee year, which is about to begin, is undoubtedly another great gift for the Church.

There is no reason or impediment that should prevent women from carrying out leadership roles in the Church: what comes from the Holy Spirit cannot be stopped.

(Final Document of the XVI Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops - No. 60)

Dear Friends of WUCWO,

we have been following together the synodal process that began more than 3 years ago. I know that for some the process has been long and tiring, but for many others it has been a great gift. I stand with Pope Francis in the sense that the Final Document which concluded the second phase of the Synodal Assembly in October is a great gift to the Holy Father himself, to the People of God and to the whole world. It brings together the fruit of years of listening to the Holy Spirit and to one another in order to better understand how to be a ‘synodal Church’ today. It is the beginning of a real transformation in the life of the Church!