Women in Leadership: Reflections on the life of Chiara Lubich and the thought of Pope Francis

You will have the opportunity to listen to an incredible panel of speakers that will reflect on the impact that the thought of Pope Francis and the legacy of Chiara Lubich are having on the Church. The New York Times called Chiara Lubich “one of the most influential women in the Catholic Church.” And she was even more than that. Her spirituality has touched millions of people worldwide from different Christian churches, religions and cultural backgrounds. Pope Francis has been an active advocate for the leadership of women and has introduced women into many positions of governance in the Church.

PANELISTS

• SALLY AXWORTHY was appointed Her Majesty’s Ambassador to the Holy See in September 2016. Her previous roles include time as Joint Head of the North Africa Department, Head of the Great Lakes, East Africa & Somalia Department, and Director of Corporate Services in India. Mrs Axworthy took up her appointment in September 2016.
• FRANCESCA DI GIOVANNI is an Italian lawyer who has worked in the Secretariat of State of the Holy See since 1993. In January 2020 she was appointed by Pope Francis to serve as the Undersecretary for Multilateral Affairs in the Section for Relations with States, becoming the first woman to hold a managerial position in that branch of the Roman Curia.
• MAURIZIO GENTILINI, is the author of the recent biography “Chiara Lubich: Prophet of Unity”. He is an historian and archivist. He currently works at the National Research Council in the Department of Human Sciences.
• AUSTEN IVEREIGH is a British writer, journalist, and Fellow in Contemporary Church History at the University of Oxford. He is author of two biographies of Pope Francis: “The Great Reformer. Francis and the making of a radical pope” and “Wounded Shepherd. Pope Francis and his struggle to convert the Catholic Church”. He recently co-authored with Pope Francis “Let Us Dream: The Path to a Better Future. In Conversation with Austen Ivereigh”.
• ELIZABETH WALLIN is the Founder and Executive Director of Project Lia, a nonprofit social enterprise dedicated to creating and developing a sustainable, community-oriented program for women impacted by the justice system. For the past four years, Elizabeth’s sole focus has been to redistribute community resources, elevate the voices of those directly impacted by the issue, and bring in business in support of the mission.