Demonstrators carried signs demanding that the church treat women and men as equals. The group says the Catholic church practices gender discrimination by preventing women from entering the priesthood.
"We believe that Jesus would welcome women into the priesthood to serve his followers. And there's no biblical evidence; these are rules created by the Vatican, by men that discriminate against women," said the Laura Singer of the Women's Ordination Conference.
The Archdiocese of Chicago says although the Catholic church does not ordain women as priests, women serve an important and active role in the church.