The Synod of Catholic Bishops is open to lay people as well as women, who will be granted the right to vote for the first time. The next General Assembly, scheduled for October in the Vatican, will require the participation of at least 21% of religious and consecrated, lay and lay people, half of whom must be women. Pope Francis, who desired this watershed moment, will select names from a list of 140 people identified by the world's episcopal conferences. Pope Francis approved the change on April 17. The pontiff had already appointed a religious, Sister Nathalie Becquart, as Synod undersecretary at the start of 2021, making her the first woman to vote. It is no longer an isolated incident. Out of 370 voters, 41 will be women with the right to vote. Until now, women could be auditors or collaborators, and they could intervene but not vote in the Paul VI Synod, which was established in 1965. Pope Francis recently stated that women have a completely different management and thinking ability than men: "I would say superior to us. We see it in the Vatican as well: where we put women, everything changed and progressed."