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?
For centuries,women voices have been excluded from the Catholic Church. In fact, when some women have tried to speak up, they have been silenced. God created all of us, women and men in his image and likeness but in this patriarchal church, women’s wisdom and spirituality are ignored and suppressed. This is the reason so many women have left the Church and those of us who are still in the Church are very tentative about staying because of the oppression we experience as women.
It was very painful for me to watch the your visit to the USA. I became acutely aware of the absence of women’s presence. No where, were women included in welcoming you Papa Francis as you arrived, nor were they present at prayer services. It became all to clear to me, not only am I, but all women are voiceless in the Church, but now we are also invisible. The synod is composed of 270 bishops, not one woman has a vote! Women are the heart of the church it is through them that the faith is passed on. How can you talk about family when half of the family is not present to share their faith experience. Many years ago, someone in our church community was having serious doubts as to whether to have her daughter baptized. At the time, I thought she was over reacting. Today I think she was more on target than I was. She did not want her daughter to be a 2nd class citizen, as a 72 year old woman I am getting tired of waiting to enjoy full status as a member of this church. If we are baptized then we should enjoy full participation in all the sacraments.
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I’m a cradle Catholic who is still a faithful member of the Church. I know many compassionate and affirming priests who have encouraged me on my journey of faith. However, despite my attempts to promote the role of women in the church I have been endlessly frustrated by the controlling nature of so many others, and pray that the accepting attitude of Pope Francis will permeate the Synod and that women may be accepted on an equal footing to men in the church in the future.
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Sono un cultore dei Vangeli, ed un ex Teologo cattolico. Dopo attenti e profondi studi, posso affermare che nella e per la Sacra scrittura, in virtù della Santa Vergine Maria, le donne sono preposte al sacerdozio, oltre ad occupare ruoli di primo piano nella Chiesa Cattolica. Si prega d’inserire questo commento nei vostri documenti.
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Isn’t it possible, even probable, that God can and does call women to the priesthood? I hope that the Holy Spirit moves the male hierarchy to this realization.
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