(ZENIT News / London, 10.12.2022).- The British Broadcasting Company (BBC) published its list of the 100 most inspiring and influential women of the world in 2022. Among them are the global musical phenomenon Billie Eilish; Ukraine’s First Lady Olena Zelenska; actresses Rita Moreno and Selma Blair; the triple jump champion who beat her own world record, Yulimar Rojas; Colombian writer Velia Vidal; Argentine conservationist Sofia Heinonen; and activists Ceci Flores and Geraldina Guerra. However, there is also a Catholic nun among them: Sister Nathalie Becquart, Under-Secretary of the Synod of Bishops, who is of French origin.
The BBC points out about her:
Pope Francis appointed Nathalie Becquart Under-Secretary of the Synod of Bishops, the first woman to access this post. She is the only woman with the right to vote in the Synod, an organism that advises the Pontiff on important issues for the Catholic Church. The Secretary General of the Synod said in 2021 that the appointment of Becquart shows that “a door has been opened” for women.
Previously the French nun was a member of the Sisters of Saint Francis Xavier Congregation and the first woman Director of the National Service for the Evangelization of Young People and Vocations in France.
This is the tenth edition of 100 outstanding women and, on this occasion, the BBC explored the progress achieved over the last 10 years. In this connection, the BBC verified that, “although there has been great advances in women’s rights — from the number of women leaders to the MeToo Movement –, for many women in numerous places in the world there is still a long way to go.”
The list reflects the central role of women in conflicts worldwide, from protesters who courageously demand changes in Iran, to the feminine face of conflict and resistance in Ukraine and Russia. This year the BBC asked selected women of the lists of previous years to suggest the nominations.
