Magazine 2012
Gender Concerns In The Mission
Of The Catholic Church
Ms. Margaret F. Joseph
S.N.D.T. College Of Arts & S.C.B. College Of
Commerce And Science For Women, Mumbai.
The organizational structure of the Catholic Church has been patriarchal and women, both among the religious
and the laity have been marginalized and at the bottom of the church hierarchy. In the twentieth century the
Second Vatican Council (1962-1965) initiated by Pope John XXIII, was a landmark in the history of the Catholic
Church as it interrogated the marginalization of womenb s contribution in the church and acknowledged the
need to respect the dignity and equality of women as Godb s people. Post Vatican II, the church has been
involved in a closer scrutiny of traditions and the scriptures. There have been serious attempts to deconstruct
the dominant patriarchal paradigm of biblical interpretation and reconstruct a new paradigm in keeping with
the needs of the changing times so that feminine perspectives can be authenticated
The b feminizationb of the church was a response to the trends in society at large and women and men feminist
theologians sought to unearth dimensions of theology that had elements of liberation and asserted the centrality
of women in the church. This led to the reassertion of full humanity to woman as persons created along with
men in the image of the Divine, while exposing the patriarchal relations of domination and exploitation as far
from being the Word of God, to be the work of men.
In the light of the above developments, I have briefly attempted to trace the conscious contributions made by
the church hierarchy, theologians, male and female religious congregations and laity to liberate the church
from its patriarchal orientation and move towards a more inclusive and egalitarian structure.
b
God created humankind in His image, in the image of God he created them,
male and female He created themb Genesis1:28
The great Catholic theologian , Thomas Aquinas believed that women were defective men, imperfect in
both body and soul. The Roman Catholic Church has moved and changed since that time and in theory
accepted the contrary evidence that is found in the scriptures and Jesus ministry.
th
The church after becoming the official religion of the Roman Empire in the 4 century organized itself
according to Roman socio-political structures and laws and thus evolved from a charismatic family church
which had women leaders to an institutional church which was patriarchal and hierarchal in organization.
As the Roman Catholic church is controlled by male hierarchy, the articulation of canon law and scriptures
is androcentric in language and interpretation and discriminating and oppressive towards women. The authors
of the Bible were submerged in their own anti-feminist culture as were its traditional interpreters, this resulted in
oppressive attitudes and practices against women by the church. With in the church male priests seem to
be the favoured class and claim divine sanction for their actions and hence womenb s voices and concerns were
largely unheard until now. Simone de Beauvoir summed up the situation very accurately in b The Second Sexb
She says: b Godb s representatives on earth: the Pope, the bishop, the priest who says Mass, he who preaches,
he before whom one kneels in the secrecy of the confessional- all these are menb &The Catholic religion among
1
others exerts a most confused influence upon the young girl.b Excluded from positions of decision making,
women did not have any influence in shaping either the Churchb s mission, doctrine, theology, biblical
th
interpretations, or spirituality. In the 20 century, The Second Vatican Council(1962-1965) initiated by Pope
John Paul XXIII was a landmark in the history of the Roman Catholic church, as the church at this point
responded to the need to interrogate its perception of the role and place of woman in the church. The Council
was the beginning of a new epoch of pluralism and signaled the opening of the church to the world and the
needs of Godb s people. This gave impetus to a new gender policy which focused on a new theology of the
human person where man and woman are seen as images of God in their distinct identity and share an equal
stewardship in creation. Thus there could be no grading in the hierarchy of dignity. Religious and cultural
traditions began to be reinterpreted to bring about gender justice in the church.
In 1995, at the Beijing Conference, Pope John Paul II, in his letter to the women at the conference admitted
that the church had faltered in not adequately acknowledging the dignity and place of women in the church.
He says: b b & and if objective blame , especially in particular historical contexts has belonged to not just a few
(111)
members of the church ; for this I am truly sorry. May this regret be transformed on the part of the whole church
into a renewed commitment of fidelity to the Gospel vision. When it comes to setting women free from every
kind of exploitation and domination the Gospel contains an ever relevant message which goes back to the
attitude of Jesus Christ himself. Transcending established norms of his culture, Jesus treated women with
openness, respect, acceptance and tendernessb &b The Pope concluded the letter by saying that the life of the
church in the third millennium will not be lacking in new and surprising manifestations of the b feminine genius.b
He also set up a special commission for the study of the contemporary problems concerning the b effective
promotion of the dignity and the responsibility of women.b 2
In April 2002, thirty eight women religious representing twenty one congregations came together at
Ishvani Kendra,Pune, for a seminar on b Awakening the Feminine Dimensions of Religious Lifeb , organized by
Streevani and voiced the need to acknowledge Sophia, the Divine Spirit as the feminine energy of God
empowering them and inviting them to a deeper consciousness of living their religious consecration on the
basis of their identity as women. They spoke of the need for a critical re-reading of the biblical texts and
writings of the Fathers of the Church for a true image of women according to the Gospel. They questioned the
long tradition of spiritual formation from the b male opticb and felt the need to redefine spirituality from a womanb s
perspective with a positive and integrated attitude towards the body, nature and sexuality. They urged women
to contribute with greater boldness through writings and other forms of expressing their knowledge of God,
thus releasing untapped energies of feminine wisdom. There was a call to building forums of womenb s solidarity
and joining hands with women and men who shared this vision so that women could fulfil their commitment as
3
b
prophetic signs of the Reign of Godb In August, 2010, twenty four men and women responded to the call of
Streevani,Pune and reflected on the main themes of the Gender Policy of the church and made some
recommendation to overcome the lacunae that they had identified. Apart from reiterating the need for a
discipleship of equals and the need to engage in an ongoing critical discussion on the Gender Policy from the
perspective of women and promote a policy that empowers women, it made a commitment to hold the
bishops to their commitment to the implementation of the Gender Policy. The advocacy of zero tolerance
towards sexual abuse of women and children in the Church and the need for putting in place of processes and
structures for reporting sexual abuse, that are sensitive and confidential , and include women was an important
4
statement made at the National Consultation of Streevani.
At the Ecumenical Association of Third World Theologians (EATWOT) Womenb s Conference, in July
2
006, women spoke of the need to deal with theology b from our particularity as women b the otherb , b the
marginalb , b the outsider.b They felt the need to assume this positionality as an impetus towards an alternative
reality. While acknowledging that the Bible was an important resource for theology, they felt the need to look
at it with critical eyes and reclaim biblical imaginary of b a new heaven and a new earthb (Isaiah 65:17) as we
5
claim another world and a new theology.
In May, 2007, at the Fifth General Assembly of the Conference of Bishops of Latin America, Pope
Benedict XVI addressed the issues relating to the movement for participation of laity especially women in the
churchb s mission. b b &how women can come into their own in the church so that the feminine charisms make the
churches wholesome, vibrant and truly localb
The Church is an agency of socialization and through the liturgy and homilies at mass shapes the values and
ideals, norms and conscience of its disciples. The patriarchal slant in biblical interpretation has, in the past,
denied women full humanity as persons created along with men in the image of the Divine. Thus, the re-
readings of the biblical texts by feminist theologians like Elizabeth Schussler Fiorenza, Gabriele Dietrich,
Rosemary Radford Ruether are extremely important in reshaping perceptions and interpretations of existing
biblical texts from a womanb s perspective and making theology more inclusive and redemptive.
For too long woman was condemned as Eve, the temptress, today, the Church focuses on the positive
images of biblical women. Mary Magdalene is no longer condemned as the weak, sinful prostitute in need of
repentance and forgiveness but as a courageous woman who boldly gate-crashed into a house full of men to
meet Jesus, in a society where such actions were unheard of. The earlier tradition failed to notice that she was
the first woman to acknowledge Jesus as the Messiah through the symbolic gesture of anointing him with
perfume when the other apostles, including Peter, on whom Jesus conferred the title of b rock b on which the
church was founded, were in doubt about the nature of his messiahship. Jesus paid Mary Magdalene the
greatest compliment he could give any disciple when he said,b Wherever the gospel is proclaimed b & you will
always be remembered.b She is the primary witness to both the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. Mary, the
mother of Jesus, a symbol of Christian piety, humility and virginity, often used and abused to keep women in
their b proper placeb and to shape Christian notions of sexuality, is today, projected as a liberated and liberating
(112)
woman , a figure of independence and courage participating in Jesus ministry. Thus feminist scholarship has
recovered new symbols and archetypes of women which the church now poses before the laity. Women
associated with Jesus were empowered women because they participated in His public ministry, not only
preaching the Gospel but also establishing house churches. Christianity attracted women because it enabled
them to overcome the entrenched patriarchal taboos, judgemental attitudes and biases of the Jewish religion
and society. The re-reading of the lives of biblical women by feminist theologians has influenced interpretation
of the scriptures especially during the homilies at mass, thereby prompting the laity to look at stereotypical
images with a critical eye.
Dr. Rekha Chennattu who teaches scripture in Jnana Deepa Vidyapeeth, Pune, in a paper highlights the
lives of biblical women who took decisive steps in their lives as a result of an encounter with the word of God
and presents them as models of a new paradigm for theologizing from womenb s perspective. Theology is
seen as b a transformative, political and critical reflection, in a continuing dialectic with liberative action in the
6
worldb The midwives of the Hebrews, Shiphrah and Puah (Exodus1:15-22), who were commissioned by the
king of Egypt to annihilate all male babies of Hebrew women disobeyed the royal command to save the lives
of the babies. We are told in the scriptures that they did so because they b fearedb God. According to the
biblical tradition, to fear God means to walk in Godb s ways by loving and serving God(Deut 10:12). Their
courage was rewarded by God and he saved them from the wrath of the king. They refused to be part of the
cycle of violence. When the Jewish widow, Judith (Judith8-16) learns that the leaders of her community have
decided to give up their faith if God does not save them in five days, she rebukes them for their lack of
commitment to the covenant relationship with God and reminds them of what God has done for the people of
Israel. Judith is absolutely certain that God will deliver her people and after a long prayer, with the help of her
maidservant entices Holofernes with her beauty. She tricks him into believing that she has deserted her people
and joined the enemy. At the opportune moment, when she is alone in the tent with Holofernes, she cuts off his
head. Thus through Judith God delivers the Israelites from the oppressive hands of the Assyrians, she becomes
an agent of Godb s mighty work in saving Israel from her enemies. Judith receives the title of b blessed among all
the women of the earthb (Jdt 13:18) The Canaanite Woman (Matthew 15:21-28), a Gentile who begs Jesus to
heal her daughter who is possessed by a demon, ( Canaanites were ancient enemies of Israel) transcends the
traditional norms and conventions concerning the role of women in public by courageously making a request
to Jesus in public, b Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of Davidb . In the language of the Jewish lamentation psalms,
a lament psalm is understood as an act of hope and trust in Godb s faithfulness to the covenant promises of life
and peace. Matthew portrays the woman as an active partner in dialogue with Jesus. When Jesus says to her,
b
I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israelb (Mt 15:24) and b It is not fair to take the childrenb s food
and throw it to the dogsb (Mt 1:26), she challenges Jesus with a powerful argument saying, b Yes, Lord, yet even
the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masterb s table. b Her faith is rewarded and her daughter healed. She
challenges Jesus with her faith and convinces Him that His divine power is for all, Jews and Gentiles, men and
women and in so doing opens the way for Jesusb mission and the mission of the Church to go beyond the
Jewish community. She is an agent of socio-religious change as she wins over Jesus in the theological
consideration regarding the boundaries of his mission. The parable of the Samaritan woman (John 4:4-42) who
interacts with Jesus, the Jew, and breaks tradition also poses a creative reinterpretation of religious traditions.
Her change from unbelief to belief in Jesus reflects the faith-journey of a committed believer. Her recognition of
Jesus as the Messiah and her zeal to spread the good news of her encounter with Jesus is a sign of her
apostolic stature. Thus, we see how these stories in the Bible when re-read give us new insights into the role
played by women in shaping tradition. They are stories that give us a glimpse of the creative power and
.6
wisdom of women as theologians who are not only personally transformed but bring about social transformation
There have also been several attempts in 1983, 1985 , 1990, 1991, 1994 to eliminate the b sexistb language
in the bible and substitute it with gender-neutral language. For example in Colossians 3:18 and Ephesians
5
:22, women are advised to b put their husbands firstb rather than the traditional b submit to your husbands.b
The Catholic Bishopsb Conference of India (CBCI) in 2008 deliberated on the theme of b Empowerment of
Women in the Church and Society.b The womenb s commissions, desks and councils set up by the bishops are
entrusted with the task of keeping the question of women alive. Some of the important issues that the CBCIb s
gender policy emphasized at this conference was to encourage family oriented movements like b Marriage
Encounterb to promote the fundamental equality of husband and wife as both a gift and a right deriving from
God, the Creator. This was in keeping with the new meaning and purposes of marriage that emerged in Vatican
II ( Gaudium et Specs, 1965) and in the encyclical b Humanae Vitaeb (1968) where love and procreation were
equally the purposes of marriage and not the act of procreation alone as was emphasized in the traditional
(113)
Catholic understanding of the conjugal rite before this. This shift, raising love to a level with procreation
represented the influence of philosophical b personalismb and the emergent awareness of womenb s equality.
The commitment made by the bishops to offer at least 35% (moving towards an ideal of 50%)
representation of women as office-bearers and members on parish and diosesan pastoral councils and finance
committees and in ecclesial bodies at local and national levels was a very positive move. Besides this they
reiterated the commitment to take forward the policy of gender justice in all Church.
The effect of these policies is visible with the appointment of more women leaders in the church councils but
whether these women are truly sensitive to the ideally visualized aspirations of a gender-just church, only time
will tell.
Priesthood still remains elusive to Roman Catholic women. Though Vatican II in its Pastoral Constitution
Gaudium et Specs condemned any form of discrimination on basis of sex, the discussion of Roman Catholic
womenb s ordination has been officially forbidden by the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith in 1995.As a
reaction to this b Womenb s Ordination Worldwideb was founded in1996 with the primary mission of fighting for
the admission of Roman Catholic women to all ordained ministries. It is committed to bringing about a model
of collaborative non-hierarchical leadership in the church.
The Feminist Movement has been the catalyst for the attitudinal change in the perception of the role and
place of women in the Roman Catholic Church and has prompted the Church to strive towards gender justice
in its organizational structure. Though, I must add that perhaps the issues discussed in the article are of a far
more complex nature and require a more exhaustive and comprehensive analysis than this article provides.
References:
1
2
3
4
.Beauvoir de Simone, The Second Sex, trans. By H.M. Parshley (New York: A.H. Knopf; 1953)
.Vidyajyoti Journal of Theological Reflection (VJTR) August,1995, Vol.59, No.8, pg. 492.
.Document, VJTR, June,2002,Vol.66, No.6, pg.436-437.
.Document, Statement of a National Consultation-Gender Relations in the Church: A Call to Integrity and
Justice, VJTR, October,2010, Vol.74,No.10, pg.57.
5
.Document, VJTR, March,2009, Vol.71, No.3, pg. 226
6
. Chennattu, M Rekha RA, Biblical Women as Models of Theologizing, VJTR, September2009, Vol.73, No. 9,
pg.31
(114)