'Crack in Stained Glass Ceiling': Pope Allows Women To Vote at Bishop's Meeting

Five religious sisters have been given the right to vote at synod – a papal advisory body – for the first time.

Pope Francis on Wednesday, 26 April, announced historic changes to the voting rights at an influential global meeting of bishops scheduled in October, granting five religious sisters the right to vote for the first time.

The changes apply to the rules governing the Synod of Bishops, a papal advisory body that gathers the world's bishops together for periodic meetings, according to news agency AP.

Previously, women were only allowed to attend as observers. While men will still hold the majority of votes, this move is seen as a significant shift for the male-dominated Roman Catholic Church.