In light of the upcoming dates March 8, International Women's DaySquares and cathedral grounds throughout Spain have been filled with believers who, under the banner of the Women's Revolt in the Church, have taken to the streets to denounce the exclusion of women from positions of power within the Church. This year's slogan, "This is my body," has served to reinterpret one of the most well-known phrases in the liturgy, transforming it into both a political and spiritual cry.
The movement, which is already six years of activity and coordinated mobilizationsThe movement has organized simultaneous events in 35 territories. From Valencia to Pamplona, from Madrid to Alicante, passing through Cantabria and Granada, the participants have staged performances, read manifestos, and held festive but firmly assertive rallies, denouncing what they consider a "deep and systematic" discrimination against women within the Church.
A simultaneous protest in 35 territories of the State
The Women's Revolt in the Church has organized this year a synchronized concentration network in 35 dioceses and territories of the Spanish State. These include Alicante, Almería, Asturias, Badajoz, Barcelona (Alcem la Veu), Bilbao (Gure Hitza), Burgos, Cádiz, Cantabria, Ciutadella (Alcem la Veu), Córdoba and Cabra, Donostia-San Sebastián (Emakunmen Aldarria), Granada, Huelva, Huesca, Jaén, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, León, Logroño, Lugo, Madrid, Málaga, Murcia, Pamplona-Iruñea, Salamanca, Santiago de Compostela (Mulleres Cristiás Galegas-Exeria), Seville, Tenerife, Teruel, Valencia (Alcem la Veu), Valladolid, Vigo, Vitoria-Gasteiz and Zaragoza.
From all these points, women believers and allies have raised a single voice to denounce the invisibility and the veto of full participation of women in the internal life of the Church. The coordination between territories has been noticeable both in the chosen date —around March 1, within the framework of the demands of 8M— as well as in the shared script of the performances and in the repeated use of the slogan "This is my body" as a common thread of the events.
The movement is not limited to isolated actions, but is defined as a stable platform of feminist believersWith a consolidated presence in much of the country and links to European and international networks, its spokespeople insist that this is not a one-off protest, but rather a long-term strategy to force structural changes within the Church.
In cities like Madrid, Valencia, Alicante, Cantabria, and Pamplona, the same idea was repeated during the reading of the manifestos: "Even though the heart and hands of the Church"We continue to be denied the right to speak, to have a voice, and to vote, as well as access to decision-making and leadership positions." This is a diagnosis that the Revolt has been emphasizing since its inception and which it is once again placing at the center of the debate this year.
The call for applications has been open not only to women, but also to men who declare themselves accomplices in the cause and who share the critique of patriarchal clericalism. These expressions of support, the movement emphasizes, demonstrate that the demand for equality in the Church is not a sectoral claim, but a matter of justice that challenges the entire believing community.
"This is my body": from the altar to the street
The motto chosen for this edition, "This is my body," takes one of the central expressions of the Eucharist—reserved, according to current regulations, for ordained men—and the transforms into an affirmation of autonomy and dignity of believing women. For the Revolt, these words condense both the memory of Jesus and the right of women to decide about their lives, their spirituality and their presence in the Church.
In Madrid, in front of the Almudena Cathedral, the participants insisted that they intend to add a new meaning to that liturgical formulaThey explain that this is a way of denouncing the institution's historical control over female bodies—especially through moral and disciplinary norms—and of demanding that these bodies be recognized as fully worthy, free, and capable of religious leadership.
In Alicante, the message has been formulated in similar terms. Local spokesperson Susana Poveda pointed out that the Church "is being left out of the social gains" in equality and shared responsibility, and that the chosen slogan serves to to highlight the gap between official discourse and reality of the women who sustain communities, parishes, and social works. The reminder that feminine spirituality is "inseparable from the body" aptly summarizes this critique of centuries of guilt-centered sexual morality.
Also in Cantabria, where the Revolt is holding a rally this year under the same slogan, it has been emphasized that "This is my body" is at once a protest and a profession of faithThe organizers explain that they do not renounce their membership in the Church or their commitment to the Gospel, but they consider it essential to review structures and practices that keep women in a subordinate role.
While some voices within the hierarchy speak of progress and timid openings, the spokespeople for the Revolt recall that the synodal process itself recognizes that There is no sufficient theological reason to prevent women from assuming leadership roles. Therefore, they insist that the Church must accelerate its efforts if it wants to be credible in a society that, to a large extent, has already embraced gender equality as an essential goal.
Mary and Eve: breaking the archetypes that constrain women
The central event of these mobilizations has been a performance repeated with local variations in squares and courtyards throughout the country. Two figures, representing the Virgin Mary and Eve, appear on stage as symbols of the archetypes that, according to the Revolt, have marked the ecclesiastical vision of women for centuries: on one side, the chaste, pure and submissive virgin; on the other, the sensual, disobedient and guilty sinner.
In Valencia, for example, the performance took place in the Plaza de la Virgen, coinciding with the festive atmosphere of the start of the Fallas festival. There, while the verses were being recited... polarities that tradition has imposed —"the submissive Virgin or disobedient Eve", "the chaste and pure Virgin or the sensual and seductive Eve"—, both figures were wrapped in cling film, in a visual gesture that symbolizes the pigeonholing and suffocation produced by these extremes.
The scene has been replicated with other nuances in the cathedral of Pamplona, where more than fifty women have denounced that the Church forces them to live there. only two imaginary ones: saints or sinnersDuring the reading of the manifesto, they recalled that these binary models ignore the real diversity of women and reduce their humanity to moralistic labels.
In Alicante, the participants wore black with gold details and They had labels with adjectives attached to them that ecclesiastical and social culture has assigned to women: pure, docile, temptresses, rebels, provocateurs… As the performance progressed, the attendees tore off and threw these labels on the ground, to point out the need to get rid of stereotypes and make room for plural identities.
The key moment of the performance comes when a group of women surrounds the figures of Mary and Eve and tears the plastic that immobilizes them. This gesture, repeated in the various performances, represents the liberation from patriarchal molds And the reconciliation of these two symbols, now understood not as opposing poles but as part of the same shared history. "We are neither perfect nor damned; what defines us is diversity," one of the spokespeople summarized.
Voice, vote and leadership: the central demands
Beyond symbolic gestures, the Women's Revolt in the Church has brought to the forefront a series of very specific demandsIn every city, the demand has been repeated that women be able to fully exercise their right to speak, to vote, and to lead in the bodies where decisions are made that affect the life of Christian communities.
In Pamplona, where the mobilization took place for the first time, the participants denounced that, despite being "the heart and hands" of many parishes and groups, they continue excluded from the spaces where the pastoral line is definedResponsibilities are distributed or doctrine is interpreted. They point out that this gap is also reflected in the limited female representation in positions of diocesan responsibility or in advisory bodies.
In Madrid and Cantabria, the manifestos have emphasized the idea that the clerical patriarchy blocks change It maintains a rigid division of roles: ordained men concentrate sacramental and governing authority, while women perform invisible tasks of accompaniment, catechesis, caregiving, and community work. This distribution, they argue, does not reflect the egalitarian message of the Gospel nor the sociological reality of the communities.
Another of the repeated requests is the opening of women's access to diaconate and presbyterate for those who feel that calling. In Granada, for example, the gathering in the Plaza de las Pasiegas highlighted this issue, demanding recognition of the training of many female theologians and their ability to assume ministries and tasks that are currently denied to them because of their gender.
The organizers emphasize that they are not seeking "more power for power's sake," but real equality of rights and responsibilities in an institution that, in his view, is lagging behind social progress in equity and shared responsibility. The constant reference to processes like the Synod on Synodality points precisely to this desire for the Church to move from mere words of listening to effective measures.
Inclusive language, renewed morality, and feminist theology
Alongside demands for institutional participation, the Revolt has focused on less visible but equally structural aspects, such as language used in the liturgy and in official textsIn several cities, including Alicante and Granada, activists have demanded a thorough review of homilies, documents, and catechetical materials, so that they stop speaking of women in paternalistic terms and exclude sexist expressions.
The criticism also extends to so-called sexual morality, which many participants consider marked by the blaming of womenFrom Granada, the need for an ethics more focused on tenderness, mercy and respect for consciences has been defended, less obsessed with the control of private life and more attentive to the situations of violence and discrimination suffered by many believers.
In this context, the organizers point to feminist theology as a "essential engine of change" within the Church. They denounce, however, that there is a striking disproportion between the number of female theologians with training and publications and the teaching or leadership positions assigned to them in faculties of theology and ecclesial study centers.
The movement demands recognition of intellectual and pastoral contribution of these theologiansand that their work be integrated into the formation of seminarians, pastoral agents, and consecrated persons. Only in this way, they maintain, can the prevailing notions that have portrayed women as secondary, dangerous, or destined exclusively for silent service be dismantled.
The insistence on changing language, structures of responsibility, and sexual morality responds, in the words of the activists themselves, to the same objective: to build a A church where faith and machismo do not go hand in handIn their manifestos they recall the phrase from the letter to the Galatians: "There is neither male nor female, for we are all one in Christ Jesus," as the biblical foundation of their struggle.
Throughout these gatherings, one idea has been repeated that sums up the feeling of the movement well: They are women believers, active in parishes, movements and organizationsThey do not want to leave the Church, but rather contribute to its renewal from within. This commitment to the cause of Jesus and to social transformation from a women's perspective is, they explain, the heart of the Revolt.
The image left by these mobilizations—full squares, performances that tear down plastic and labels, manifestos demanding a voice and a vote—points to a movement that has already carved out a stable niche in the Spanish ecclesial landscape. With its insistent cry of «until equality becomes the norm"The Women's Revolt in the Church seems determined to continue occupying public and ecclesial space, to forge alliances in Spain and other European countries, and to keep the pressure alive so that the changes that are perceived as distant today end up becoming part of everyday life, also in the Church."