The Vatican has announced new honors for Sr. Nathalie Becquart, the highest-ranking woman in the Roman Curia and a key architect of the Church’s recent synodal reforms. The French Xavière Sister, who serves as Under-Secretary of the Synod of Bishops, has been recognized for her role in advancing collaborative governance in the Church. Aleteia reports the details of the recognition, which comes four years after Pope Leo XIV (then Cardinal Prevost) praised her contributions during the 2021-2023 Synod on Synodality.
What happened
Sr. Becquart, 55, has been formally commended by the Vatican for her decade of service to synodal processes. She made history in 2021 when Pope Francis appointed her the first woman with voting rights at a Synod of Bishops, breaking centuries of precedent. Since then, she has helped design the global listening sessions that gathered input from millions of Catholics worldwide, and drafted key working documents for the 2023 Synod assembly.
Her path to Vatican leadership was unconventional. After earning a business degree and working as a marketing consultant, Sr. Becquart spent a year volunteering at a school in Lebanon run by the Sisters of Nazareth. That experience led her to religious life with the Xavière Sisters and eventually to theological studies and pastoral ministry.
For the complete story and details of the honors, read Aleteia’s full report.
Why this matters
Sr. Becquart’s rise reflects a gradual shift in how the Vatican integrates women into decision-making roles. While the Church’s hierarchical structure reserves ordained ministry and certain governance positions to men, recent Popes have emphasized that baptismal dignity, not ordination, grounds participation in the Church’s mission. The Synod process she helped lead produced recommendations for expanding women’s roles in diocesan leadership, seminary formation, and curial departments.
Her recognition also highlights the practical fruits of synodality as a method. The global consultation she coordinated brought marginalized voices into Church conversations in unprecedented ways. Whether those consultations lead to structural reform remains an open question, but the process itself has already changed how many bishops and laity understand shared responsibility for the Church’s life.
For Catholic readers
If you participated in synodal listening sessions in your diocese between 2021 and 2023, your input passed through processes Sr. Becquart helped design. The Synod’s final documents are available on the Vatican website and offer insight into how global consultation shaped the Church’s current priorities.
Sources:
1. Aleteia — original report
