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Report on the Participation of Women
in the Catholic
Church in Australia.
Published by Harper Collins Relgious, 1999, pp.
381-384
9.7.3 Patriarchal and Hierarchical Nature of the Church
Seen as the
Fundamental Barrier to Women's Participation
The fundamental barrier concerned patriarchal attitudes and traditions,
which were seen to be iinconsistent with the person and message of jesus
Christ, and which failed to take into account developments in the social
sciences and changes in the role of women in the wider society. It was felt
that such attitudes had been reinforced by Pope John Paul II and the Vatican
bureaucracy in recent times to the detriment of the teachings and spirit of the
Second Vatican Council.
The
structures óf the Church were experienced as male-dominated,
hierarchical and authoritarian. Authoritarian attitudes and the misuse of power
and position were seen as serious barriers to women’s participation.
A
fixation on rules and regulations, a rigid and unbending manner, and a lack of
compassion and openness to dialogue were frequently-cited characteristics of a
Church in need of renewal. The negative attitude towards women on the part of
some of the clergy, especially parish priests, was also experienced as a
significant obstacle.
9.7.4 Discrimination in the Church on the Basis of
Gender
The
failure of the Church to grant equal roles and status to women was experienced
as a most significant barrier. The lack of gender equality and the exclusion of
women from some areas of the Church’s ministry and governance, sometimes
described in terms of the “sin of sexism”, were a source of
alienation for both women and men. Many areas of Church life, whether in
teachings or actual practice, were seen to exclude women’s views,
experiences and involvement either directly or indirectly. The issue of gender
equality was raised in terms of both theology and justice. Fundamental issues
concerning the theology of personhood and the theology of sexuality were seen
to underpin the Church’s position on the role and status of women. It was
felt that basic theological principles, such as the true and equal dignity of
all men and women, made in God’s image and likeness, and the goodness of
sexuality, receive inconsistent treatment in the teaching and practice of the
Church. For many people in the Church, the exclusion of women from leadership
and decision-making roles meant that women were treated as second-class
citizens. Within Catholic organisations in Australia, a lack of mentoring for
women and a lack of affirmative action policies were identified as barriers.
Further, it was considered that the Church was not reflecting sound advances in
society. This gap between the ecclesiastical and secular worlds was experienced
as a scandal, as it was felt that the Church should be leading the way in the
recognition and promotion of the true equality of all people. The absence of
young women in the Church was evidence of a disparity between the attitudes of
society and Church towards women.
9.7.5 Exclusion from Decision-Making and Leadership
The
exclusion of women from the decision-making processes of the Church was seen as
a most significant barrier to full participation of women and a serious
impediment to sound decision-making in the Church. Decisionmaking and
leadership were generally seen as being concentrated in the hands of the clergy
and Bishops, who are all male and celibate, ìn a hierarchical leadership
model. This situation effectively excluded all women and married people from
mast decision-making in the Church. It was strongly felt that women were
excluded from decision-making even concerning issues which directly affected
them, especially moral teachings on issues such as sexuality, contraception,
marriage, divorce and abortion. Because of the gender barriers to leadership,
the Church was thought to be deprived of both the views and approaches of
women. Even where women are present in such roles, the processes were still
seen to be male-oriented. Further, it was felt that current leadership in the
Church was not exercised in a collaborative or accountable manner. Not only
were there few opportunities for input but there was also no forum for appeal
against decisions.
Overall findings of the survey of Catholic organisations and theological
institutions revealed that the participation of women as employees or students
of these Catholic organisations is high, but at the senior level for both
branches, that is, participation in leadership roles and in doctoral degree
studies respectively, the percentage of women declines significantly. A
cultural view was perceived that some positions, especially senior positions,
must be held by men. The data from employer organisations highlight the
structures and processes in Catholic Church organisations needing change to
improve women’s participation, particularly in management-leadership
roles.
9.7.6 Exclusion of Women from Priestly Ordination
The
exclusion of women from ordination and from other crucial ministry roles such
as the permanent diaconate was experienced as á major obstacle to the
full participation of women. The exclusion of women from the priesthood was
seen as a denial of women’s right by Baptism to full participation in the
Church, as well as a denial of their gifts and talents in the service of Christ
and the Church at a time a# great need. For many, the nature of ministry was
viewed as the broader and more fundamental issue which needed to be addressed.
It was stressed that what was important was the centrality of the Eucharist
rather than an exclusively male priesthood. In various aspects of the research,
it was noted that respondents were reticent to speak about the ordination of
women, believing ìt to be “off limits” for the Project. Others
took the pragmatic view that change was unlikely and therefore it would be more
constructive and effective in the short term to turn one’s attention to
other issues and strategies.
The
ban on the discussion of the ordination of women was seen as a barrier and a
matter of justice in the Church. There was much agreement, even among people
who took differing positions, that the issue of women’s ordination be
discussed. While views differed on the question of whether women should be
ordained, there was support for an open discussion the issue.
9.7.7 The Question of the Ordination of Women Has Not
Been Received by the Faithful as Expressive of their Catholic Belief
The
findings of the research from the written submissions, public hearings and
targeted groups indicated that the question of the ordination of women has not
been resolved in that it had not been received by the faithful of the Church as
expressive of their Catholic belief. This finding is supported by the results
of the CCLS concerning respondents’ acceptance of the Church’s
teaching on the ordination of women. Only 42 percent of Church attenders
accepted the teaching with no difficulty. A particular characteristic of the
response to the question on the ordination of women was the high number of
respondents (27 percent) who stated that they do not accept the teaching that
women cannot be ordained priests. Younger adults were most likely to reject the
teaching on the ordination of women (34 percent of women and 28 percent of men
aged 15 to 39) and these figures are only marginally higher than for women and
men in their 40s and SDs. What is particularly noticeable is the quite high
proportion of older respondents aged 60 or more who also reject this teaching -
20 percent of women and 23 percent of men. This contrasts sharply with the fact
that only 3 percent of this age group do not accept the Church’s teaching
authority in general.
9.7.8 A Range of Other Barriers
- A range of
other barriers was identified including:
- compulsory
celibacy of priests; the Church teaching and practice in relation to sexuality,
marriage and the family;
- traditional
teaching on artificial contraception;
- discrimination
against the divorced and remarried;
- lack of role
models, especially for young women;
- lack of
relevance of the Church to young people;
- failure to
identify the changing role of women in society as a “sign of the
times”;
- inability of
the official Church to listen to women’s voices; sacramental limitations
of women chaplains;
- women’s
contribution being undervalued;
For other findings see:
- Selected Excerpts
- Dominant Common Characteristics of Perceptions
Concerning the Participation of Women in the Church
- Two contrasting Perceptions of Women in the
Catholic Church of Australia
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