
Sooooooo the Catholic Church has a new pope! Pope Leo XIV (a/k/a Cardinal Robert Prevost) is the first American-born pontiff in history, having been born and raised in Chicago, Illinois (big ups to the Midwest). This historical moment, combined with my own upbringing as a preacher’s kid in a Jamaican household, made me think of the myriad ways that the 3 major Abrahamic religions—Christianity, Judaism, and Islam—shape both women’s history and the progression (and regression) of women’s rights, especially here in America. What does Pope Leo XIV’s election mean for American women? How will Abrahamic religions, especially Christianity continue to impact women’s movements in the United States?