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Let us entrust the new year to Mary, the Holy Mother of God. 

Our times, bereft of peace, need a Mother who can reunite the human family. (Pope Francis) 

Dear Friends of WUCWO:

There is no doubt that this new year begins in the midst of conflicts and situations that threaten peace in the world, in communities and in families; but it also starts with a great number of challenges, opportunities to do good things and, for us, women of faith, with many reasons for hope. Therefore, I want to write this message as a welcome to the new year full of light and hope, confident that Mary, our Mother, will be walking beside us day after day, watching over us, encouraging us and interceding so that the Lord grants each one of us the graces we need.

“May the approaching Christmas season strengthen our commitment to open paths of peace”. (Pope Francis) 

Dear friends of WUCWO,

A year is coming to an end and, first of all, we must thank the Lord for the many blessings received. For us in WUCWO, it was an unforgettable experience to have had a private audience with the Pope. The Assembly in Assisi, where the perennial legacy of St. Francis and the light of the Holy Spirit guided us in defining the direction the organisation would take for the next 4 years, was also   wonderful. And what can we say about the Synod on Synodality? Witnessing such a transcendental moment in the life of the Church and the participation of women in it, as well as being able to collaborate in one way or another in the synodal process, will undoubtedly be something to tell future generations.

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.

An urgent call to safeguard the world we inhabit. 

"…with the passage of time, I have realized that our responses have not been adequate, while the world in which we live is collapsing…” Pope Francis (LD 2)

Dear friends:

At the last Assembly in Assisi we adopted, among others, a resolution to work to correct the current global food crisis by promoting responsible consumption and reducing food waste. The resolution itself expresses that WUCWO women should engage in the urgent call to action enunciated in the Encyclical Laudato si' in relation to environmental and climate change issues, promoting ecological conversion.

      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.

“Invisibles No More”: Special Event on the occasion of the coming International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women 2023. 

Rome, November 14 - Gender-based violence against women - physical, economic, cultural and psychological, including human trafficking, remains a worldwide scourge affecting millions of women. Worldwide, with statistics varying considerably from country to country, 35 per cent of women between 15-49 years of age have experienced physical and/ or sexual intimate partner violence or non-partner sexual violence, and in 38 per cent of the cases of women’s murders, the perpetrator has been their partner. Hundreds of millions of girls are at risk of slavery, mutilations, prostitution and/or forced and/or early marriage. These are just a few examples of the dramatic situation.

During the month of October, Rome hosted the first Session of the XVI Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops (October 4-29, 2023), an unprecedented event in the history of the Church. For about a month, 464 participants from every corner of the globe, including 364 members, among them 54 women, lay and religious, with voting rights, gathered to understand, reflect, and discuss the future of the Church.

At the same time, the World Union of Catholic Women's Organisations (WUCWO), the International Forum Catholic Action (IFCA), and the Italian Catholic Action organised two reflection and prayer meetings on October 18 and 26, involving men and women actively participating in the Synodal Assembly, under the title "Walking with the Synod."

Forward-looking perspective from the experience of participants in the Synodal Assembly. 

Meeting with some of the participants in the Assembly. 

At this important moment in the life of the Church, we invite you to join us for a reflection meeting on Thursday, 26 October with women and men who are actively participating in the Synodal Assembly.

Organised by the World Union of Catholic Women's Organisations (WUCWO), the International Forum of Catholic Action (IFCA) and the Italian Catholic Action (ACI).

ZOOM LINK to participate

Simultaneous translation ENG-ESP-FRA-ITA. 

May the united prayer for peace of more than 8 million women be heard this October! 

Given the recent events in the Middle East, the war that continues in Ukraine and the armed confrontations throughout the world, let us join the plea of Pope Francis who, with great pain, tells us: “Please stop the attacks and the weapons! Let it be understood that terrorism and war do not lead to any solution. Every war is a defeat…”

The "Women's Cry" photographic exhibition, curated by Lia Beltrami in collaboration with the World Union of Catholic Women's Organizations (WUCWO) through its World Women's Observatory (WWO), has landed in New York during the United Nations General Assembly's 78th session. This powerful exhibition, initially displayed in St. Peter's Square last May with the collaboration of the Vatican's Dicastery for Communication, is a testament to the resilience of women in remote areas and conflict-ridden countries.