Most alarming is the claim by Cardinal Ravasi that Pope Francis knows about this women's council and several others like it appointed by bishops, and the inference is that the Pope approves as he has done nothing to eradicate this abomination where women are merely "advisors" to their male superiors, and women are not allowed to have a decision-making role. So is this Francis' vision for the future? Women who offer their advice based on their supposed "feminine geniuses," but who are absolutely powerless, and actually segregated from the men who are the decision-makers.  So preposterous. This is how the Pope is going to make women "full participants in ecclesial life"? None of these hand-picked groups of women represent anything other than the point of view of bishops who will not even allow women to vote in Synods on the family. I don't see any progress being made. In fact, these segregated women's councils are an enormous step backwards, while giving women a pat on the head.