More women on commissions, in ministries and new ambassadors too

Appointments

Of the ten new members of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, seven are women. Their names are:  Irma Patricia Espinosa Hernández, a Mexican psychiatrist and theologian; Maud de Boer-Buquicchio, a Dutch jurist, former UN special rapporteur on the sale of children, prostitution and child pornography; Anne-Marie Emilie Rivet-Duval, a psychologist from Mauritius, director of the African Institute for Health Development; Teresa Devlin, managing director of the National board for the Safeguarding of Children in the Catholic Church of Ireland; Ewa Kusz, Poland, psychologist - sexologist, co-founder of the Child Protection Centre at the Ignatian Academy in Krakow; Sr Niluka Perera, Sri Lanka, coordinator of Catholic Care for Children International at the UISG; and Sr Annah Nyadombo, coordinator of the Zimbabwe Bishops’ Conference where Talitha Kum also coordinates.

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Sister Margarita Bofarull Buñuel, lecturer in Moral Theology at the Universidad José Simeón Cañas in Antiguo Cuscatlán (El Salvador); Laura Palazzani, lecturer in Philosophy of Law at the Lumsa University, have joined the Pontifical Academy for Life. New ordinary members are Professors Martha Margarita Luz Tarasco Michel; Mariana Mazzucato; Sheila Dinotshe Tlou.

Among the new Consultors of the Dicastery of Communication are Sister Veronica Amata Donatello, sign language translator for papal celebrations; and Sister Adelaide Felicitas Ndilu, secretary of the Commission for Social Communications of the Kenyan Bishops' Conference and director of Radio Waumini.

Ambassadors

New ambassadors appointed to the Holy See: Ireland's Frances Collins and Germany's Annemieke Ruigrok (photo Chiara Porro @AusAmbHolySee)

Survey

The results of the International Survey of Catholic Women, a survey of Catholic women with 20,000 respondents from 104 countries, commissioned by Catholic Women Speak, designed and managed by researchers at the Australian University of Newcastle can be read at catholicwomenspeak.com

Against trafficking

Sister Paula Kwandao Phonprasertruksa, is the new regional representative for Asia of Talitha Kum and joins the international co-ordination. Sister Paula worked closely with Sister Abby Avelino, who took over from Sister Gabriella Bottani in September as anti-trafficking network coordinator. Sister Theresa Meera (India), Sister Nilanthi Ranasinghe (Sri lanka) and Sister Chatarina Supatmiyati (Indonesia) help her with Talitha Kum's activities throughout the Asian continent.