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Our Ecclesiastical Assistant, Fr. Gerry Whelan, wrote an introductory chapter for a book on Evangelii Gaudium published by Professors of the Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome. This book was distributed to each bishop attending the Extraordinary Synod on the Family, held in November. Then, to the surprise of the authors, Pope Francis invited them to visit him so that he could thank them. They did this on December 4th, 2014 and the Pope sat for an hour with them discussing theology. Attached is the English translation (from Italian) of the article that Fr. Gerry contributed.

The theme of the General assembly of WUCWO in 2014 is “Women of WUCWO, Sowers of Hope.” This prompts me to reflect about just what hope is. For most of this reflection I turn to comments made by Pope Francis who speaks often on this theme. I see his comments as falling into two categories: first, that hope is a “theological virtue”; second, that hope in the next world involves a commitment to action in this one. To complete these reflections, I turn to Vatican II and explore what Our Lady teaches us about hope. 

During the Executive Board Meeting of WUCWO on July 24th I offered the following reflections to open our meeting. I remarked on the fact that for the two previous days the Church had been celebrating women saints.  

The Instrumentum Laboris (Working Document) for the second session of the Synod on Synodality was presented on 9 July, the working document containing the contents and questions for the more than 450 participants in the second session of the Synod on Synodality, to be held from 2 to 27 July, was presented in the Vatican press room and by live broadcast.

On June 13, the Dicastery for the Laity organised the Annual Meeting of Moderators of Associations of the Faithful, Ecclesial Movements and New Communities, where it was possible to reflect on "The Challenge of Synodality for Mission", with the participation of more than 220 people from up to 95 Associations of the faithful from all over the world.

The President General of the World Union of Catholic Women's Organisations (WUCWO), Mónica Santamarina, was in New York at the end of March for the 68th Session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW 68), where she participated in various events and meetings, together with Barbara Dowding, Regional Vice-President for North America, and Maribeth Stewart, WUCWO International Representative at the United Nations, New York. Among the various activities, WUCWO organised, with its Women's World Observatory (WWO), a side event sponsored by the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation:

In recent days, the World Union of Catholic Women's Organizations (WUCWO) had the opportunity to host some members of the Tanzania diocese, who shared valuable insights on the crucial role of working with younger generations and women's access to education. Among the visitors were Evaline Malisa Ntenga, WUCWO's Regional Vice President for Africa; Professor Deogratias, President of the Laity in Tanzania; Mr. Dalmas, President of the Laity in Zanzibar; Mr. Leonard, Youth Representative of Tanzania, and Theresia from the Early Childhood Society, accompanied by her mother Stellah.

On 1 December 2023, a significant event to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women was held at the evocative Villa Bonaparte in Rome, home of the French Embassy to the Holy See.

The initiative, promoted by H.E. Madame Florence Mangin, Ambassador of France to the Holy See, and H.E. Madame Annemieke Ruigrok, Ambassador of the Netherlands to the Holy See, in collaboration with the World Union of Catholic Women's Organisations (WUCWO), gave voice to several female ambassadors to the Holy See and institutional representatives who presented measures and interventions adopted in their countries to inform, raise awareness and above all combat gender-based violence.

      Photo: Periódico El Debate - Jorge Ruiz

Mónica Santamarina in El Debate: Driving the Participation of Catholic Women in the Church and Society. 

Mónica Santamarina, interviewed in November in El Debate, offers a detailed vision of the work of WUCWO and explains her perspective on the role of women in the Church.

Santamarina, recently elected as President, sets priorities for the next four years, including the consolidation of the World Women’s Observatory, the work on the side of the Synod to promote the participation of women and the attention to issues such as migrants, refugee women, religious freedom, hunger and food shortage, as well as ecological conversion.