The Diocese of St Gallen says its new “I’m In” campaign is intended to encourage participation in the Church. One poster has attracted particular attention for a question about the possibility of a female pope
The Diocese of St Gallen has launched a public campaign that includes a call to “pave the way” for the election of the first female pope.
The Swiss diocese unveiled its “I’m In” (Ich bin dabei) campaign in early May across around 25 towns and villages.
Promoted through billboards, social media and a dedicated website, the project seeks to highlight the Church’s charitable, pastoral and educational work while encouraging greater public engagement.
Among the posters is one featuring a pastoral worker posing the question: “Shall we pave the way for the election of the first female Pope?”
The slogan is followed by the campaign’s recurring response: “I’m in.”
The Church teaches that it lacks the authority to ordain women to the priesthood, a position reaffirmed by successive pontiffs and most notably set out by Pope St John Paul II in the 1994 apostolic letter Ordinatio Sacerdotalis.
Since the papacy is intrinsically linked to the episcopate and priesthood, the prospect of a female pope is regarded by Catholic doctrine as impossible under the Church’s present understanding of Holy Orders.
The campaign intends to present the Church as a place of participation and dialogue.
Other advertisements focus on youth work, care for the elderly, prison and hospital chaplaincy, assistance for the poor, intercultural ministry, abuse prevention and Christian education.
Clergy, employees and volunteers are shown asking a variety of questions intended to stimulate discussion before concluding with the phrase “I’m in”.
The campaign has also drawn renewed attention to the leadership of the diocese under Bishop Beat Grögli, who was appointed by Pope Leo XIV in May 2025 following his election by the cathedral chapter of St Gallen.
Bishop Grögli has long been associated with reform-minded positions within the Swiss Church and has publicly expressed support for the possibility of women being admitted to ordained ministry in the future.
Speaking after his election as bishop, he stated: “Women’s priesthood will come.”
In earlier comments, he argued that the theological case against the ordination of women was unconvincing.
“I find the theological argumentation against the ordination of women to be weak,” the bishop said, adding that the prospect of women exercising priestly ministry did not trouble him should Rome one day permit it.
Bishop Grögli has also argued that “the ordained ministry can no longer be solely a man’s affair”.
While emphasising communion with Rome and the universal Church, he has likewise spoken favourably of synodality, describing it as a means of sharing responsibility across the Church and ensuring that the voices of clergy and laity are heard more fully.
The bishop has also attracted attention for comments on the pastoral care of homosexual Catholics.
In an interview discussing blessings for same-sex couples, he said: “I am a pastor. A blessing ceremony is not a church-political manifestation.”
Bishop Grögli has also been critical of the Traditional Latin Mass and of communities attached to it.
“Often the Old Mass is linked with certain theological ideas, worldviews and political opinions that are not mine at all,” the bishop said.
He continued: “What is difficult about these groups is that they have withdrawn from the larger community. The liturgy they celebrate does not develop further.”
These comments have contributed to the perception of Bishop Grögli as one of the more progressive figures within the Swiss episcopate.
The controversy surrounding the “I’m In” campaign is likely to be received favourably in St Gallen itself.
The diocese became internationally known during the pontificate of St John Paul II because of informal meetings held by a group of senior churchmen who gathered periodically in the Swiss city to discuss the future direction of the Church.
The group, which included several prominent European cardinals and bishops, later became known as the “St Gallen Group”.
Although its members rejected suggestions that it functioned as an organised political faction, it came to symbolise a reformist current within Catholicism that favoured greater collegiality, decentralisation and discussion of issues such as clerical celibacy and the role of women.
Interest in the city intensified following the publication of authorised biographies of the late Cardinal Godfried Danneels of Belgium, who acknowledged participation in the meetings.
The latest campaign is therefore likely to reinforce perceptions among many Catholics that St Gallen remains one of the most progressive dioceses in Europe.
Its organisers, however, have presented the initiative primarily as an exercise in evangelisation and public engagement.
Through posters, online videos and personal testimonies, the campaign seeks to showcase the work undertaken daily by clergy and volunteers and to encourage people to take part in parish and diocesan life.
Bishop Grögli himself appears in campaign material explaining why he remains committed to the Church.
“I’m in the Church because faith is important to me, because I want to live this faith with other people, and because I want to help shape the Church with my talents and joy,” the bishop says.