SCRANTON, LACKAWANNA COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) – It’s been a busy Women’s History Month. Wednesday night, the highest-ranking woman official at the Vatican appointed by Pope Francis came to Scranton to speak to students.

Sister Nathalie Becquart is an inspiration to so many. She was appointed by Pope Francis as Undersecretary in 2021 and is the first woman to hold the position.

Hundreds gathered at the University of Scranton. Sister Nathalie traveled from Rome to discuss Pope Francis, the power of women, and synodality.

“I would like to highlight that there has been some change, and the Synod is a process of change, and all the students are already called to be protagonists, to change the world and to change the Church,” said Becquart.

The Synod of Bishops is an ecclesiastical advisory group of Church leaders who assist the Pope by examining issues close to the Church.

“The call of the message of Pope Francis that I want to share is that we really need to be together, to learn more, to journey together, to serve the society and the world and to build a better world,” said Becquart.

Sister Nathalie is inspiring students here and across the globe as the highest-ranking female official at the Vatican.

“I think it’s a really great experience, obviously I’ve never seen anyone from the Vatican, I’ve never actually been, so I think it’s an awesome opportunity that the university put together that we can actually see a woman in such a prominent role in the Church,” said Matthew Duffy, a Junior at the University of Scranton.

Sister Nathalie shared universal messages of listening and learning for all members of the Church.

“The Jesuit and Catholic mission obviously is at the heart of every single thing we do, whether it’s academics or student life so I would say our student body is very much involved in our Jesuit mission so to actually have a representative from the Church, from the Vatican here, that’s just an incredible opportunity for our students,” said Clara Downey, a Senior at the University of Scranton.

“It is really, really cool. We’re such a proud Jesuit university so having someone like Sister Nathalie come here is definitely just a testament to how dedicated we are to the Jesuit ideals,” said Sydney Gero, a Senior at the University of Scranton.

Sister Nathalie was given a special award during the event. Prayers were offered for Pope Francis who is currently hospitalized.