The Joint Diploma in “Women and the Church: Women and Men in a Synodal Community” is an academic program promoted by the Institute of Higher Studies on Women of the Ateneo Pontificio Regina Apostolorum together with several pontifical institutions, with the aim of valorizing the role of women in the life and mission of the Church. Now in its 7th edition, the program intends to foster an interdisciplinary reflection on the collaboration between women and men in ecclesial spaces, promoting processes of synodality, co-responsibility, and participation. The course addresses the cultural, historical, and anthropological barriers that can still hinder the full recognition of women’s contribution today, with particular attention to the presence of women in the decision-making processes of the Church and beyond. The horizon of the Joint Diploma is that of a Church called to live its synodal vocation ever more fully, rediscovering the dignity of the baptismal priesthood and valorizing the reciprocity between women and men in the ecclesial mission.

The course is aimed at priests, religious men, religious women, and laity, men and women, engaged in the ecclesial sphere at the curial, diocesan, or academic level, or in formative roles within the various forms of consecrated life or associations.
The program is designed for those who wish to increase their awareness and activate concrete processes to promote greater and better collaboration between men and women within the Church.

The structure of the course follows three fundamental dynamics:

Listening

to understand the current challenges of the condition of women in the Church and of the collaboration between women and men in different ecclesial contexts.

Discerning

to identify the causes of these challenges, in light of cultural, historical, anthropological, and ecclesiological factors, and to guide thought and action.

Acting

to outline paths of conversion and renewal for the Church, starting from the perspectives opened by the Second Vatican Council.

The course is divided into three thematic modules:

Socio-historical Module

Presents the historical and cultural processes that, from the 19th century to the present, have affected the condition of women in the Church and in society, highlighting strengths, problematic issues, and development perspectives.

Anthropological Module

Deepens the meaning of sexual difference in the human person and the complexity of the elements involved in identity formation, to illuminate the collaboration and reciprocity between men and women in ecclesial contexts.

Ecclesiological Module

Starting from the ecclesiology of communion developed in the Second Vatican Council, it reviews the main elements of the conciliar and post-conciliar Magisterium on the laity and on women, opening paths for creative, faithful, and prophetic application.

Mode: online.

Methodology: entirely online teaching in asynchronous mode, with continuous access to educational materials. The materials will also be available in English and Spanish. There are also 3 online synchronous meetings, featuring tutoring and workshop activities in the Italian language, without translation services. The program concludes with a final examination to verify competencies.

Coordinator: Prof. Anita Cadavid. The course benefits from the collaboration of international professors and experts. Thanks to the participation of numerous Pontifical Universities, advanced teaching materials, and the contribution of international professors and experts, students will be able to deepen their understanding of the value of collaboration between men and women, both fundamental for the development of society and for the mission of the Church. The program also offers notions that can be applied and transmitted within one’s own projects, work, teaching, and daily apostolate.

At the end of the program, the participant will be able to:

• deepen the alliance between men and women in the ecclesial sphere, starting from the novelty of the Gospel;
• assimilate fundamentals and guiding criteria for the promotion of women’s contribution in the Church;
• identify the main difficulties that hinder the full fulfillment of the mission of women;
• understand some expressions of female subjectivity in the life and mission of the Church;
• grasp historical dynamism as a prerequisite for overcoming anachronistic patterns;
• develop a reading of the Catholic tradition in continuity with different eras and cultures;
• identify new perspectives for the mission of women in the Church, starting from the renewed understanding of the baptismal vocation.

Dates: November 5, 2026 – March 18, 2027

Educational Credits: 10 ECTS

Cost: 500 euros

Reduced Cost: 450 euros for Consecrated men/women, RIU, and for students enrolled in the Athenaeums participating in the Joint Diploma

• Anita Cadavid, Institute of Higher Studies on Women – APRA
• Christoph Betschart, o.c.d., Pontifical Theological Faculty Teresianum
• Lorella Congiunti, Pontifical Urbaniana University
• Catherine Droste, Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas
• Mario Llanos, Pontifical Salesian University – UPS
• Carla Rossi Espagnet, Pontifical University of the Holy Cross – PUSC
• Grazia Loparco, Pontifical Faculty of Educational Sciences Auxilium
• Nicla Spezzati, Pontifical Lateran University – Claretianum Institute of Theology of Consecrated Life

E-mail: info.issd@upra.org

Cell: +39 339 8267427