Pope Francis, the head of the Catholic Church, died on Easter Monday at the age of 88.

On Easter Sunday, he used his message and blessing to appeal for peace in Middle East and Ukraine.

Pope Francis will be remembered as a pastoral leader who cared deeply about the environment and those impacted by migration, poverty and war.

During his Pontificate, he did make important changes to the patriarchal structure of the Catholic Church – but did he go far enough?

Throughout his papacy, Pope Francis highlighted the struggles of women in society. He took important steps to expand opportunities for women in the church and address its patriarchal structure.

This was showcased by his inclusion of women in the 2024 synod (a global meeting of the whole church, represented by bishops) and his granting of voting rights for 57 women out of a total of 368 attendees.

His appointment of around 20 women to positions of authority in the Vatican is unprecedented.

This includes the recent 2025 appointment of an Italian religious sister, Simona Brambilla, to lead a Vatican department.

During his papacy, Pope........

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