UNITED STATES
Questions from a Ewe
Several women complained to the Vatican’s Pontifical Council on Culture about using the sculpture “Venus Restored” (see previous blog article for a picture) as cover artwork for its working document on women’s culture. One of my friends received the following response today signed by Cardinal Ravasi, the Council’s head.
I have received your objection to the use of “Venus Restored” by the artist Man Ray on the Pontifical Council for Culture’s website to illustrate the working document of the Plenary Assembly on “Women’s Cultures: equality and difference”. While registering your complaint, we have chosen not to remove the image, as we believe it speaks clearly for one of the central points of our document: many women, alas, are still struggling for freedom (bound with rope), their voices and intellect often unheard (headless), their actions unappreciated (limbless).
Gianfranco Ravasi
First, I appreciate that Cardinal Ravasi at least responded to my friend, though he has not yet responded to my complaint. But let’s look at his response for a moment.
He defends using the artwork saying it speaks clearly to the issue of women’s voices and intellect often being unheard… kind of like the intelligent women’s voices being ignored by him on this very topic…
In two simple sentences Cardinal Ravasi encapsulates the hierarchy’s historical role in binding women, ignoring their voices and under-appreciating them. We objected but our voices were unappreciated and ignored in favor of being bound to his decision. Richer irony there never was than him dismissing intelligent women’s concerns as unfounded at the same time he envisions himself as some sort of knight in shining armor advocating for greater appreciation of women’s intellectual contributions.
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