After the Catholic Church's sexual abuse crisis, female theologians are calling for changes to leadership, by Siobhan Hegarty, ABC Radio National (August 15, 2020)

After the Catholic Church's sexual abuse crisis, female theologians are calling for changes to leadership

By Siobhan Hegarty
ABC Radio National
August 15, 2020

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-08-16/after-catholic-church-sexual-abuse-crisis-change-women-leaders/12543146

The topic of female ordination often rears its head in conversations about gender equity within the church.

St Catherine of Siena didn't become literate until adulthood, yet her letters to Pope Gregory XI convinced him to return the papacy to Rome.

In her recently published book, Beth Doherty searches for truth and beauty in a fractured church.
Photo by Beth Doherty

Sixty per cent of churchgoers in Australia are women, yet in the decision-making ranks of the Catholic Church, female voices are largely absent.

The lack of women in leadership roles is a point of contention for many theologians — not just for equity reasons.

According to Robyn Horner, from the Australian Catholic University's school of theology, the church's sexual abuse crisis demonstrated the failings of a male-only leadership structure.

"I think the church has protected itself for a long time with patriarchal attitudes and the exclusion of women from decision-making roles, even if they're not ordained roles," she says.

Associate Professor Horner views the sexual abuse crisis as a line in the sand, "which says either the church is going to change or it's going to die".

As of this month, changes are being made.

Last Thursday, Pope Francis appointed six women to a group overseeing the Vatican's finances. These positions are thought to be the most senior female appointments in the Church's leadership structure.

But reformers in the Catholic Church are pushing for greater structural change.

An early female 'doctor' of the church

Beth Doherty, a teacher, author and former communications director for the Australian Catholic Bishops' Conference, says women have held positions of influence in church history — so there's no reason they can't today.

"There's of course the scriptural argument that Jesus chose only men as his disciples," she says.

"But there's lots to suggest that people like Mary Magdalene and Mary and Martha of Bethany were disciples as well — and they were the first ones who actually saw Jesus as the resurrected Christ."

Ms Doherty also points to St Catherine of Siena, a layperson credited with convincing Pope Gregory XI to return the papal capital to Rome in the 14th century.

"She was illiterate, but yet she ended up being one of the great doctors of the church," says Doherty.

"She basically told the pope, who was in Avignon [France] at the time, to man up and get back to Rome and start leading the church properly."

Could women elect the next pope?

Female ordination is a contentious topic that often rears its heads in conversations about gender equity within the church.

Female bishops and priests have not existed in the mainline church, but deacons have, says Associate Professor Horner.

In 1994, Pope John Paul II wrote an apostolic letter stating the prospect of women priests was not open to debate. The declaration was supported by Pope Francis four years ago.

But in April this year, Pope Francis created a commission of experts to examine whether women could become ordained as deacons, the first rank of the ordained clergy.

For Ms Doherty, there is no innate reason why women should be banned from priesthood. But despite that, she doesn't describe herself as a "big crusader for women's ordination".

"I wouldn't say that the greatest way that we can achieve equality or power for women is by ordaining them," she says.

"I think sometimes if we get lost in that conversation we don't look at some of the other ways that they can already participate."

One such way, she proposes, could be through the College of Cardinals.

"You don't have to be ordained to be a member of the College of Cardinals, because their main job is to elect the next pope," she contends.

"[Catholic educator Anna Krohn] had this idea: If cardinals are princes of the church, couldn't women be princesses of the church?

According to Maeve Heaney, a theology lecturer at ACU and member of the order of Verbum Dei, lay men were involved in papal elections historically, but the practice hasn't occurred for hundreds of years.

"The 1917 Code of Canon Law stipulated that all cardinals had to be ordained priests, and the 1983 code of Canon Law stipulated that all cardinals have to be an ordained bishop," she says.

"Arguably, we could have lay people involved in the election of a pope. How that would need to come to happen would, I intuit, involve a lot of dialogue, discussion and synods.

"It would be a big decision, but it's possible."

In 2013, a spokesperson from the Vatican said such a move was "theologically and theoretically" possible, but "not remotely realistic".

'It can be frustrating'

Despite the gendered nature of certain Catholic leadership positions, Dr Heaney says there is "an awful lot happening" to promote equity within the church.

"In times past, preaching was only a question of men doing it," she says.

Dr Heaney adds that Catholic education and health institutions are spearheaded, in the main, by women.

She acknowledges that, given the Catholic Church is a large, universal institution, as well as a spiritual reality, changes can come slowly.

"It can be frustrating, but I think that's the nature of such a big structure," she says.

Despite the organisational obstacles, Ms Doherty remains hopeful that the church will adapt to the times.

"In 2020, we need to really recognise that men and women each have very specific parts to play," she says.

"What I want to see is people going, 'OK, there's been a lot of evil, there's a lot of ugliness in the church, but ultimately if we go back to the reasons for its existence, there is the great beauty to be found.'"