Synod looks at Catholics' shared mission, but also exclusion of women
October 13, 2023 at 3:10 p.m.
VATICAN CITY CNS –The life of women in the Catholic Church "is full of scars" and alternating experiences of being encouraged or rejected, the president of Latin America's religious superiors told members of the assembly of the Synod of Bishops.
But the most obvious and defining experience, "has been the love of God, a love that remains even beyond the efforts of some to make invisible the presence and contribution of women in the church," said Sister Liliana Franco Echeverri, a member of the Company of Mary and president of the Confederation of Latin American and Caribbean Religious, or CLAR.
Sister Echeverri spoke to the synod assembly Oct. 13 as participants began work on the third section, or module, of the working document: "Co-responsibility in mission."
The working document asked synod members to reflect on: ways to increase a sense of responsibility for mission among all Catholics; the relationship between liturgy and mission; the relationship between ordained ministry and the dignity of all the baptized; recognizing and promoting the dignity and gifts of women in the church; and involving them in leadership and decision-making, including investigating the possibility of women deacons.
Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich, relator general of the synod, introduced the work by emphasizing how the mission of the church to proclaim the Gospel is at the heart of the life of the church and, therefore, of the synod's concern.
"All the baptized are called and have the right to participate in the mission of the church, all have an irreplaceable contribution to make," he said.
In approaching the discussions, Cardinal Hollerich asked participants to recognize that "each of us is the bearer of a point of view that is essential, but to address the themes effectively, we are also called to realize our own partiality."
For example, he said, "most of us are men. But men and women receive the same baptism and the same Spirit. The baptism of women is not inferior to the baptism of men. How can we ensure that women feel they are an integral part of this missionary church?"
Benedictine Mother Maria Ignazia Angelini, a theologian and spiritual assistant to the assembly participants, reflected on Jesus' interaction with women, his inclusion of them among the disciples and his reliance on them to tell the apostles that he had risen from the dead.
"Jesus' style seems to comprehend that women are dynamic elements of mission, like a presence that in critical, disruptive, unsettling passages senses the movement of life, weaves new, improbable relationships, patiently brings and dissolves conflicts," she said. "It is not a question of rights but of gifts received."
Sister Franco told the assembly that "when thinking about the mission of women in the church, it is important to look to Jesus, to learn from him. The Gospel gives an account of Jesus' readiness to see and hear women, to raise them up, to dignify them, to send them out."
For the synod and the church, she said, "true reform comes from an encounter with Jesus, in the echo of his Word, in learning of attitudes and criteria and in assimilating his style."
In most parishes and dioceses around the world, Sister Franco said, "the church has a woman's face," at least when looking at those gathered for Mass, joining parish groups, teaching religion and helping the poor."
"The church, which is mother and teacher, is also sister and disciple; it is feminine, but this does not exclude men," she said, before listing the grammatically feminine qualities the church must have: "wisdom, kindness, tenderness, strength, creativity, boldness and the ability to give life and face situations courageously."
"At the heart of the desire and the imperative for a greater presence and participation of women in the church," Sister Franco said, "there is not an ambition for power or a feeling of inferiority nor egocentric quest for recognition."
Instead, she said, "there is a clamor to live in fidelity to the plan of God, who desires that within the people with whom he has made a covenant, all would be recognized as brothers and sisters."
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VATICAN CITY CNS –The life of women in the Catholic Church "is full of scars" and alternating experiences of being encouraged or rejected, the president of Latin America's religious superiors told members of the assembly of the Synod of Bishops.
But the most obvious and defining experience, "has been the love of God, a love that remains even beyond the efforts of some to make invisible the presence and contribution of women in the church," said Sister Liliana Franco Echeverri, a member of the Company of Mary and president of the Confederation of Latin American and Caribbean Religious, or CLAR.
Sister Echeverri spoke to the synod assembly Oct. 13 as participants began work on the third section, or module, of the working document: "Co-responsibility in mission."
The working document asked synod members to reflect on: ways to increase a sense of responsibility for mission among all Catholics; the relationship between liturgy and mission; the relationship between ordained ministry and the dignity of all the baptized; recognizing and promoting the dignity and gifts of women in the church; and involving them in leadership and decision-making, including investigating the possibility of women deacons.
Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich, relator general of the synod, introduced the work by emphasizing how the mission of the church to proclaim the Gospel is at the heart of the life of the church and, therefore, of the synod's concern.
"All the baptized are called and have the right to participate in the mission of the church, all have an irreplaceable contribution to make," he said.
In approaching the discussions, Cardinal Hollerich asked participants to recognize that "each of us is the bearer of a point of view that is essential, but to address the themes effectively, we are also called to realize our own partiality."
For example, he said, "most of us are men. But men and women receive the same baptism and the same Spirit. The baptism of women is not inferior to the baptism of men. How can we ensure that women feel they are an integral part of this missionary church?"
Benedictine Mother Maria Ignazia Angelini, a theologian and spiritual assistant to the assembly participants, reflected on Jesus' interaction with women, his inclusion of them among the disciples and his reliance on them to tell the apostles that he had risen from the dead.
"Jesus' style seems to comprehend that women are dynamic elements of mission, like a presence that in critical, disruptive, unsettling passages senses the movement of life, weaves new, improbable relationships, patiently brings and dissolves conflicts," she said. "It is not a question of rights but of gifts received."
Sister Franco told the assembly that "when thinking about the mission of women in the church, it is important to look to Jesus, to learn from him. The Gospel gives an account of Jesus' readiness to see and hear women, to raise them up, to dignify them, to send them out."
For the synod and the church, she said, "true reform comes from an encounter with Jesus, in the echo of his Word, in learning of attitudes and criteria and in assimilating his style."
In most parishes and dioceses around the world, Sister Franco said, "the church has a woman's face," at least when looking at those gathered for Mass, joining parish groups, teaching religion and helping the poor."
"The church, which is mother and teacher, is also sister and disciple; it is feminine, but this does not exclude men," she said, before listing the grammatically feminine qualities the church must have: "wisdom, kindness, tenderness, strength, creativity, boldness and the ability to give life and face situations courageously."
"At the heart of the desire and the imperative for a greater presence and participation of women in the church," Sister Franco said, "there is not an ambition for power or a feeling of inferiority nor egocentric quest for recognition."
Instead, she said, "there is a clamor to live in fidelity to the plan of God, who desires that within the people with whom he has made a covenant, all would be recognized as brothers and sisters."