ABSTRACT
This chapter explores key issues at the intersection of the three topics of the book – religion, women and space – within Catholic Christianity, past and present. Because of the wide scope of the ground to be covered, both historically and geographically, this text cannot present a systematic or overarching panorama of women and space within Catholicism but provides an overview. The chapter is divided in three sections. The first provides some preliminary observations on women and space in the New Testament. The second section looks at the role of women in the Church, and addresses the issue of a male-only priesthood. The final section illustrates how women have contributed to building model community spaces of religious practice within Catholicism.
