I feel grief over all the rejection I have experienced and that other women have experienced in the Church and the crippling effects rejection can have when internalized. It is not the rejection of being excluded from ministry. It is rather the daily rejection of the insult, the slap down, the slammed door, when I have tried to express an unconventional question. “Sit down and shut up” is the slap down message either verbal or non-verbal. “You don’t mean that!” or “You may be on to something, but we can’t talk about it now” are the patronizing responses that are almost as hurtful as the slap-down. I have found that Catholic women, well-formed in the Catholic male-dominated culture, can slap down and patronize as well as men. There will be people reading this who will say “This is not a heartfelt story. It is an opinion.” It is my story. I don’t know if the issues based conversation is helpful in cultural consciousness development or not. I guess we will see.
The People Speak Out
Local voices connecting globally
This is important: to get to know people, listen, expand the circle of ideas. The world is crisscrossed by roads that come closer together and move apart, but the important thing is that they lead towards the Good. (Pope Francis) |
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Canon Law 212 calls upon the laity to speak up:2 - The Christian faithful are free to make known to the pastors of the Church their needs, especially spiritual ones, and their desires.§3. - According to the knowledge, competence, and prestige which they possess, they have the right and even at times the duty to manifest to the sacred pastors their opinion on matters which pertain to the good of the Church and to make their opinion known to the rest of the Christian faithful, without prejudice to the integrity of faith and morals, with reverence toward their pastors, and attentive to common advantage and the dignity of persons. |
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