A central message of the gathering was a heartfelt call for women to take an active role in adopting and supporting additional wishes—especially in light of the upcoming Passover holiday.

1983: First International Women-Church Conference in 1983 in Chicago ... 2015: WOC conveys 40th anniversary gathering in Philadelphia one week before Pope Francis visits the city.

There are also now more women training for the priesthood than men, according to Church statistics ... she told AFP on the sidelines of the synod gathering, which ended on Friday.