Hindu statesman Rajan Zed stated that the idea of having just men in the Pope’s conclave and electing one of them as the biggest religious leader of the world, was simply “out of line in 21st century“.

His comments came just days before the Roman Catholic cardinals, made up of 115 men, will be holding a conclave in Sistine Chapel in Vatican City to elect a new Pope.

Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, said that women total about 1.2 billion followers of the Roman Catholic Chuch and they greatly impact the religious scenario of the world.

Rajan Zed pointed out that the “sad part of it was that as we, the religious leaders and religions, were all in it together and how one religion or religious leader acted ultimately impacted the whole religious arena and these kinds of actions made us all look outdated and unfair. Holy See being the largest religious organization in the world should show exemplary leadership in women equality to the rest of the planet.“

Zed stressed that “women could disseminate God’s message as skillfully as men and deserved equal and full participation and access in religion.“