Estela Padilla to become first Filipina to join Vatican assembly

Filipina laywoman Estela Padilla was selected by Pope Francis as among the non-bishop participants to vote in the upcoming Vatican assembly, which was opened to women and lay people for the first time in history.

In a bulletin on Friday, the Vatican revealed the list of participants for the 16th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops which is scheduled on October 4 to October 29.

Among the 10 chosen participants from Asia was Padilla who will join the other voting members in the synod from around the globe.

Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle will also take part in the synod as the pro-prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization at the Vatican.

Manila Archbishop Jose Advincula, Caloocan Bishop Pablo Virgilio David, and Pasig Bishop Mylo Hubert Vergara will also represent the Philippines in the month-long assembly.

In April, the Vatican announced that women and lay people will already be able to vote in the next general assembly of bishops that will take place in Rome.

The new rules indicated that 70 people "who represent various groupings of the faithful of the People of God (priests, consecrated women, deacons, lay faithful)” would also be chosen to join the assembly, according to a report of Agence France-Presse.

These 70 people was handpicked by Pope Francis himself considering "not only of their general culture and prudence, but also of their knowledge, both theoretical and practical."

Among the topics expected to be tackled in the synod are women deacons, priestly celibacy, and LGBTQ outreach, the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines said.—LDF, GMA Integrated News