Why the Report Card of the Catholic Church Holds Implications for Evangelicals
I want to preface this article with background information. I was raised in a Catholic family and attended a Catholic grade school and high school. Because of my Catholic upbringing, I have a deep respect and admiration of the traditions built within that system of belief. Most of my immediate and extended family members are practicing Catholics, and we have active, engaging conversations about faith. This discussion is aimed at a wider theological idea that effects not only the Catholic Church, but in American protestant churches as well.
A recent press release from the Religious News Service (secular news service which covers religion and ethics news in American) documents a study about the positions women hold within the U.S. Catholic Church. The survey looked at the number of young women volunteering as altar servers, women in faculty positions at Catholic seminaries, and women in top positions on diocese advisory boards. The study gave the diocese an “F” for poor performance in religious education and a “D” for the number of women represented in top leadership positions.
“Pope Benedict XVI says it is ‘theologically and anthropologically important for woman to be at the center of Christianity,’ but our study shows women are relegated to the margins when it comes to positions of influence within the Catholic Church,” says Prof. Susan Farrell, a lead analyst of the report.”
With such a bold acclamation of the support of women’s leadership, what can explain the current situation? Perhaps it all comes down to theology. If the theology of a church, religion, or people group says that women are unfit, not gifted, or not created for top-tiered positions of leadership, the trickle down effect of that theology is that women are not encouraged to fill positions technically within their abilities. If, at the end of the day, the most prominent and influential positions are given to individuals based on gender, class, or race, that communicates a clear message about worth, value, and authority that no amount of words or encouragement can overcome. “Let’s focus on what women can do” is not a productive or effective way to invite women into leadership—it is, in fact, patronizing.
For a church that has been around for a significant amount of Christian history, this recent report is quite disappointing. I was raised in a practicing Catholic family for most of my childhood. I served as an altar girl with my brothers and classmates. It never occurred to me that I could not partake in Mass in this manner. I remember my grandpa making an off-handed comment one day about how he was surprised to see girls volunteering as altar servers, and I was confused. Of course we would be altar servers—why wouldn’t we be able to that?
What was omitted from my education was any reflection on history—that throughout history, access to the alter was offered to men only, and only recently has access to women been reevaluated theologically. Perhaps this part of history was not mentioned out of a desire to just move forward and forget the embarrassing past. Perhaps the priests thought at the young age of 10 we would not understand such information. Either way, I grew up not understanding why I could participate in some activities and not others, and eventually left my home congregation for one I felt was more encouraging of my personhood.
“One key recommendation is the bishops make certain seminarians and lay church members learn the full story about the roles of women in the development of the early church. The failure to learn our own history lies at the heart of many of today’s disagreements,” Prof. Regina Bannan, another lead analyst of the study, pointed out. An understanding of history is quite a powerful tool for social reform. Maybe if I had understood the history of women in the church and the progress the church had made, I would have been more hopeful for the future.
It is exciting to see this kind of information receive prominent news coverage. It should be news that one of the largest branches of the Christian faith—the Catholic Church, is struggling to incorporate half of its members into active participation in the various aspects of their ministry. It will be interesting to watch how the Catholic Church reconciles its theology of leadership with the everyday impact and health of their congregations.
For more information, visit The Women’s Justice Coalition
