Down the ages men have been perceived to be the sole recipients and transmitters of divine messages. Women on the other hand, have been socialized by patriarchal religious structures and practices to passively accept religious teachings as interpreted by men.
These androcentric and patriarchal interpretations have defined and shaped the social and cultural contexts of women resulting in their disempowerment and second class status.
The key of women’s involvement with religion is hidden in women’s bodies. Women in fundamental ways are locked in their bodies, and their exercise of power is at the pleasure of men, whether in the family or in the religious sphere. Thus, religion is not just about spirituality, beliefs and practices alone, but it is also political. These political practices however, belong to structures of the mind that are not inviolable. They can be broken by recovering the spiritual and humane. It is on this recovery that women’s survival and unfolding as humans hangs. (Extract from Statement of National Consultation, Hyderabad, 2016)
What is your experience of the Roman Catholic Church’s treatment of women?
I am a 70 year-old, active Cradle Catholic who just happens to be a woman. If Pope Francis can lead my Church through the darkness to full inclusion of women, he will have nailed the major miracle needed for sainthood. Isn’t it sad that the Church Jesus founded on equal love and respect for all of God’s children, continues to reflect such deep rooted exclusion and gender discrimination. It simply negates any claim to the principles of social justice. Over my lifetime as a Social Justice Catholic I have been discouraged, then hopeful, embarrassed, then proud as our leaders have argued points of inclusion – I hope to come to the end of the debate feeling embraced. As they say, “pray for a good harvest, but keep on hoeing”
There are many inspired, caring nuns who would be wonderful priests or pastors.
The rules of the church that only allowed male priests are from centuries ago, when women were not allowed to be educated, and couldn’t fulfill other roles in the church. It’s time to allow women more important roles in the Church.
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I was born and raised a Catholic and attended Catholic school for 12 years. While there was much that I deeply loved about the church, I left in my early twenties when I could no longer tolerate the church’s patronizing attitude toward women. To deny the voice, vocation, and leadership gifts of half of those made in God’s image went against everything I understood and loved about the ministry of Jesus. The pivotal role of Mary Magdalene in the life of Jesus and his ministry is something the leadership in the church has conveniently forgotten and tried endlessly to dismiss. The denial of artificial contraception, the obsession with sin over mercy, and the cynical use of the communion rail to punish and exclude rather than welcome and heal has kept me from the church for over 30 years. There are so many in the church I admire deeply and I read their wisdom every day of my life…Thomas Merton, Thomas Berry, Richard Rohr and Joan Chittister to name only a few. I have a Catholic heart and hope one day to find my way to an alternative Catholic community to share my spiritual gifts and assuage my deep spiritual loneliness. Until that day I remain in exile…with a legion of others.
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Although I consider myself a practising Catholic it saddens me deeply to see how the hierarchie of the Church is still completely male. I read the Bible and attend mass con a regular basis and still haven’t found a passage where Jesús treats women as subordinante to men. On the contrary, Jesús accepted women from the very beginning as well as men which was incredibly brave and revolucionary for that time. What is more, one of his most important disciples was Mary Magdalene. On the other hand , paintings of female priests have been discover in the catacumbs in Rome. Obviously the Roman Empire changed the Church gtting it backwards in many ways.I also admit Saint Paul is quite “misoginist” let’s put it this way, and that is reflected in some of his passages (women should be cover her hair at all times and be submitted to men since as the Church is the Head of God , men are the Head of women hence they should be submissive and never speak in públic , obey their husbands etc… However this is Saint Paul and not Jesus. I believe Pope Francis is aware of this. Women cannot be only accepted as mothers and wifes , we definetely are much much more than that. We Catholics should spread the Gospel the good news that Jesus brought to us and also mend the errors of the Church during all these 2000 years.Jesús and only Jesús is at the core of it and not the dogmas which come from the Middle ages. When one asks oneself what Jesús would say about female priests I have no doubts that He would have welcomed them. I am sure bishops know it. They just have to make the first step and following Chist by amending all their errors. I pray it will happen.
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Pope Francis,
Can you hear the stampede of women crowding the exit doors? They do not find simple justice, let alone the love of Jesus, in our church. Among them, our long-ago schoolmates, our neighbors, and our daughters — and with them, our grandchildren.
Yours faithfully
Paula
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