Pope Francis Breaks Tradition, Appoints 1st Woman to Synod of Bishops
- 52-year-old Nathalie Becquart was born in Fontainebleau, France and she holds a master's degree in management from HEC business school
- The Synod of Bishops is an institution that has been in existence since it was established by Pope Paul VI in 1965
- Nathalie's illustrious resume spans decades of experience, from volunteering as a Professor of Mathematics and French, to offering consultancy in an advertising agency for Christian organizations
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Pope Francis has appointed the first ever woman as Under-Secretaries of the Synod of Bishops; Sister Nathalie Becquart.
The Synod of Bishops is an institution that has been in existence since it was established by Pope Paul VI in 1965. It is currently headed by Cardinal Mario Grech.
The 52-year-old Nathalie was born in Fontainebleau, France and she holds a master's degree in management from the Paris-based globally celebrated HEC business school.
Source: UGC
Her area of specialization is Entrepreneurship, the Vatican News reports. She also attended Sorbonne University where she studied philosophy, as well as a theology course at ISSR-St Joseph Jesuit University in Beirut, Lebanon.
Nathalie's illustrious resume spans decades of experience, from volunteering as a Professor of Mathematics and French at a Catholic High School in Beirut, to offering consultancy in an advertising agency for Christian organizations in Paris.
Nathalie took her vows as a sister in September 2005 at the Xaviere sisters, missionaries of Christ-Jesus.
Since her vows, Nathalie has handled various roles among them Spiritual Director for the Ignatian Youth Network in France National and Coordinator of the scouting program for youth in poor urban multicultural areas.
She was also the president of the Ignatian association under the Life at Sea, entry into prayer initiative, Deputy Director of the National Service for the Evangelization of Youth and for Vocations, and Director of Campus Ministry in Créteil at the University of East Paris.
She is a member of the Bishop’s council of the Diocese of Nanterre France and the diocesan office of youth ministry.
She first had a feel of the Synod between 2016-2018 when she joined the preparatory team for the youth in the Vatican, followed by a stint as an Auditor at the Synod of Bishops.
Nathalie remains an active member and follower of the Vatican sabbatical programs at the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, USA.
Pope Francis made headlines last year after he kissed a nun. Briefly.co.za reported that the Pope jokingly asked the nun not to bite him after she asked for a kiss.
When the nun promised that she wouldn't bite him, the pope obliged and kissed her on the cheek, People reports.
The kiss happened as the pope was greeting a crowd of people before his weekly General Audience. Reuters reports the exchange between the pope and the nun: “Bacio, Papa!” the nun said, which means “A kiss, Pope!”.
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Source: Briefly News
