Women Foundation Heads Meet With Vatican Officials A group of U.S. and European Catholic lay women representing their family foundations traveled to Rome last month to discuss the role of women in the church with leading Vatican officials. Representatives of the Amaturo Family Foundation, the Mary J. Donnelly Foundation, the Fidel Goetz Foundation, the Loyola Foundation and the Raskob Foundation for Catholic Activities met with five cardinals: Walter Kasper of the Council on Christian Unity, William J. Levada of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Renato Martino of the Council for Justice and Peace, Giovanni Battista Re of the Congregation for Bishops, and Jean-Louis Tauran of the Council on Interreligious Dialogue, as well as other key officials of those dicasteries. They also met with Archbishop Gianfranco Ravasi and other top officials of the Council for Culture; Dr. Rocio Figueroa, the head of the women’s section at the Council on the Laity; Monsignor Pietro Parolin, the under secretary of state for relations with states; and Federico Lombardi, S.J., the general director of Vatican Radio and the Vatican press secretary. In each meeting of extended, substantive and cordial conversation, the women expressed their support for the stated desire of Pope Benedict XVI and Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone to elevate more women to positions of leadership in the church. They voiced their concerns regarding the disconnect experienced by many Catholic women who value the church’s promotion of women’s dignity and rights in the secular sphere, and yet see the limited opportunities women have to offer their talents to the church in leadership positions. The group expressed the need for the promotion of an internal church culture that places high value on the leadership and gifts of women. Appreciative of the warm reception they received in Rome, the women plan to pursue options for collaboration with Vatican departments to advance the role of women in the church. The meetings were organized by Chantal Goetz of the Fidel Goetz Foundation, which is based in Liechtenstein. She and the other women are longtime colleagues through their membership in Fadica (Foundations and Donors Interested in Catholic Activities), a consortium of some 50 family foundations engaged in Catholic philanthropy. During their visit to Rome, one member of the delegation, Kerry Robinson of the Raskob Foundation, was interviewed on Vatican Radio. Her Oct. 19 interview, entitled “Women of Faith,” is available on the Vatican Radio Web site.