Predictably perhaps, it did not take long for the talk at the plenary to start on about admitting women to the priesthood. Some women have spoken about how men, particularly clergy, are a so-called barrier to the ‘full participation’ and leadership of Catholic women.
Putting aside the fact that it is not within the authority of this Council, or the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference for that matter, to change the doctrine on the priesthood, this is not my experience. In my view there are serious gaps in such thinking.
This relentless focus on female priesthood reflects a profoundly clerical in mindset. It essentially says: the only legitimate way a woman can contribute to the life of the Church is through ordained ministry.
Not only is this wrong, it completely undermines the value of my contributions and that of my many fellow sisters to the life of the Church. It explicitly says our contribution is of ‘lesser importance’ (and yes, it says the same of many non-ordained men who equally make major contributions if anyone cared about that). It seems completely lost on those making the argument that this deeply clerical mindset is not held by the clergy but… by the laity themselves!
Let’s be clear, priesthood is not the only way, and never has been, to provide leadership in the Church. There are many wonderful holy priests, who are not leaders in a worldly evaluation and do not seek to be. And there are many priests who provide exceptional leadership – some of them are also exceptionally holy, and some of them (like me) are working on it. 😊
Religious women throughout history have been trailblazers of feminine empowerment, running schools and hospitals for centuries before the suffragettes emerged. They were accomplished women who operated out of their abundance rather than from a victim mentality that too often infects the debate today.
In my own experience, I have initiated numerous ministries, events, groups, programs, conferences and more – without the funding, or active involvement of clergy, and sometimes without permission. I have been teaching and preaching, including on the scriptures, for over three decades through our marriage apostolate which has reached tens of thousands of couples. In my case not one thing I have wanted to do in the Church needed ordination to do it… with the possible exception of wanting to exorcise the demons in my computer yesterday!
There are many talented women among us who bring a beautiful wisdom and a deep faith to the mission. I’m all for them stepping up and stepping out in leadership in their own communities and increasing the sphere of influence through their gifts. There are many, many ways to do this. Can we just move on from overly focusing on one very narrow way of expressing this contribution?
I am sure there are some women who feel genuinely called to live an expression of priesthood. This is a complex topic, one that we should always be open to exploration in the appropriate forum. And this council is not the forum.
Let us not waste our breath or our time in these precious few days on topics that belong elsewhere. The activation of the laity and leadership in religious life is fundamentally important in the mission of the Church, but it shouldn’t be at the expense of the unique contribution of our clergy – we don’t need to run priests down in order to lift up lay men and women.
That’s not co-responsibility and it won’t increase the scope and capacity of the Church for mission.
PS: I feel deeply for our priests – men who have given their life in service to our people, but who are criticised, mocked and sometimes even despised – from the very people they vowed to serve. And then we wonder why so few men are willing to respond to the vocational call.
May I suggest, if you know a priest give him a (social distanced) hug today and say ‘thank you’ – he needs to hear your appreciation.