Editing Women's suffrage (section)

=== Christianity ===
{{see also|Women in Christianity}}
The [[Pope]] is elected by [[Cardinal (Catholic Church)|cardinals]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.catholic-pages.com/pope/election.asp |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19991012011733/http://www.catholic-pages.com/pope/election.asp |url-status=usurped |archive-date=October 12, 1999 |title=How is the Pope elected? |publisher=Catholic-Pages.com |date=April 6, 2005 |access-date=September 2, 2011}}</ref> Women are not appointed as cardinals, and therefore, women cannot vote for the Pope.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.catholic.com/library/Women_and_the_Priesthood.asp |title=Women and the Priesthood |publisher=Catholic.com |access-date=September 2, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110904055106/http://www.catholic.com/library/Women_and_the_Priesthood.asp |archive-date=September 4, 2011 }}</ref>

The female Catholic office of [[Abbess]] is elective, the choice being made by the secret votes of nuns belonging to the community.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01007e.htm|title=CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Abbess|website=www.newadvent.org}}</ref> The high rank ascribed to abbesses within the Catholic Church formerly permitted some abbesses the right to sit and vote at national assemblies – as with various high-ranking abbesses in Medieval Germany, who were ranked among the independent princes of the empire. Their Protestant successors enjoyed the same privilege almost into modern times.<ref name="Abbess"/>
 
On 6 February 2021, [[Pope Francis]] appointed [[Nathalie Becquart]] an undersecretary of the [[Synod of Bishops in the Catholic Church|Synod of Bishops]],<ref>{{cite press release | publisher = Holy See Press Office | access-date = 6 February 2021 | date = 6 February 2021 | url = https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/bollettino/pubblico/2021/02/06/210206b.html | title = Resignations and Appointments, 06.02.2021 }}</ref> making her the first woman to have the right to vote in the Synod of Bishops.<ref>{{cite news | access-date = 7 February 2021 | url = https://www.lemonde.fr/societe/article/2021/02/06/nathalie-becquart-premiere-femme-a-avoir-le-droit-de-vote-au-synode-des-eveques_6069030_3224.html | language = fr | work = Le Monde | title = Nathalie Becquart, première femme à avoir le droit de vote au synode des évêques | date= 6 February 2021 }}</ref>

On 26 April 2023, Pope Francis announced that women would be allowed to vote at the [[Sixteenth Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops]],<ref>{{cite news | access-date = 26 April 2023 | work = New York Times | date = 26 April 2023 | url = https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/26/world/europe/pope-women-vote-bishops-meeting.html | title = Pope Will Allow Women to Vote at Meeting of Bishops | first = Elisabetta | last = Povoledo }}</ref> marking the first time women were allowed to vote at any Synod of Bishops.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/pope-allows-women-vote-bishops-meeting-first-time-2023-04-26/|title=Pope allows women to vote at bishops meeting for first time|first=Philip|last=Pullella|date=April 26, 2023|via=www.reuters.com}}</ref>