Carol E. Harrison Professor of History, University of South Carolina. By this Author Oct 15, 2024 Vatican synod is opening the door a bit wider for Catholic women − but they’ve been knocking for more than 100 years"In 1869, when Pope Pius IX convened the First Vatican Council, no one dreamed of inviting women, but they were nonetheless there," writes Carol E. Harrison, a Professor of History at the University of South Carolina.