Swiss diocese campaigns for “first female pope”

The Diocese of St Gallen in Switzerland has included a poster in its “Ich bin dabei” (“I’m in”) lay participation campaign that explicitly asks: “Working together to pave the way for the election of the first female pope? I’m in.”

The poster, displaying a laywoman’s face, is part of a broader initiative launched in May and displayed in about 25 towns and villages across the diocese. The campaign website includes the German phrase “Gemeinsam den Weg zur Wahl der ersten Päpstin ebnen?”, meaning “Together, pave the way for the election of the first female pope?”