Pope Francis has called on the Catholic Church to move away from a “macho mindset” and invest more in the formation of women religious. He made these remarks on January 22, 2025, while receiving members of the Hilton Foundation, the charity created and funded by the Hilton family (of the hotel franchise). He also denounced the exploitation of nuns by certain men in the Church.
Given women religious their due
In his speech, the Pope paid tribute to the Hilton Foundation's services in the fields of education, health, migration, but also the formation of women religious. “In the past, little was invested in [the formation of nuns], far less than in the formation of the clergy,” Francis acknowledged to his guests.
Criticizing the tendency to consider sisters and women as “second-class citizens,” the 266th pope expressed his hope that the Catholic Church would emerge from a “clerical and macho mindset.” He also pointed out that the mission of nuns is “to serve the least among us. It is not to be servants to anyone. This must stop,” he emphasized.
In recent years, accounts of sisters being exploited by priests, or even cardinals, have surfaced. In 2018, the women's supplement of L'Osservatore Romano — the daily newspaper of the Holy See — published anonymous testimonies from women religious claiming to being practically enslaved by clergy within the Vatican.
Sisters stepping into positions of authority
The Argentine pontiff stressed the importance of women religious being able to “pursue continuing education and training.” Indeed, he added, “Their work at the borders, in the peripheries and among the poor, requires training and competence.”
Pope Francis then mentioned recent appointments of women religious to the highest echelons of the Roman Curia and the Vatican. He mentioned in particular the first prefect of a dicastery, the one that oversees religious, Sister Simona Brambilla, and the forthcoming appointment of Sister Raffaella Petrini to head the Governorate of Vatican City State in March.
“Thanks be to God that the Sisters are stepping forward. They know how to do things better than men,” assured the head of the Catholic Church. He joked: “Do not forget that since the time of the Garden of Eden, they have been in charge. Women are in charge!”
At a time when the Western world is witnessing the aging of many religious congregations, Pope Francis also expressed concern about the care of elderly sisters, asking that they not be sent “to a care home” where they risk dying “because of sadness." In this, he echoes the same appeal he has made regarding grandparents.
“The Sisters have to work until the end, in as much as possible, until the end. [...] Please, let the Sisters remain with the people,” he insisted.
