Inter Insigniores

Today I participated in Mass at the Irish Pontifical College in the morning and began to review a 1985 dissertation on controversy surrounding women's ordination since Inter Insigniores by Orlandus et Romero Fuller.  Inter Insigniores was approved and signed by Paul VI on October 15, 1976.  He asked for a declaration on the topic of women's ordination to be drafted by the Congregation on the Doctrine of Faith because of claims that the Church's prohibition against priestly ordination of women was more presumed than argued, and that women’s ordination was not a theological issue.  

Pope Paul VI recognized the complexity and importance of considering the theological implications.   The congregation found that because the Lord Jesus called forth only male apostles, the Church was not authorized to admit women to priestly ordination.  However, it seems that Jesus did call women to be apostles, i.e. the Blessed Virgin Mary, Queen of the Apostles, Mary Magdalen, Apostle to the Apostles as well as fifteen generations of women called to apostolic service since the Holy See approved the founding of the Daughters of Charity in 1633.  This point has been disputed from the moment the declaration was issued.

According to the argument put forth by Fuller the main objection to ordination of women to the priesthood rests on the representative character of the ministry of the priesthood. Both the "object" of representation and the “mode” of representation would present obstacles for the faithful if the priest were a woman rather than the man.   Addressing the obstacle posed by the "object" of representation, he asserts the significance of the male Incarnation of Christ and the nuptial image of Christ as Bridegroom of the Church.  For these reasons he finds it to be imperative that only a male person can act “in person Christi.”  

Those opposed to these arguments assert that in the Mystery of the Incarnation, it is most significant that Christ took on human form, not the male gender.  Furthermore, the nuptial image of Christ as Bridegroom and Church as Bride, is tainted by cultural sexism inherited from Judaic tradition that understood the female sex as inherently inferior to the male.  Contemporary Christology centers on the significance of the human and divine natures of Christ, two natures perfectly united in one person.  The priest represents the mystery of this hypostatic union, not the male gender of Christ's human nature.  The gender of Christ is neither essential nor relevant to our Redemption and Salvation.  Christ's humanity is essential and relevant.  

Some theologians take issue with what Fuller calls the “mode” of representation.  This argument opposes the Thomistic principles of “natural resemblance” and “sexual resemblance.”  The assertion by Saint Thomas that women are born in an inferior state and that a woman’s lack of natural sexual resemblance to Christ disqualifies her a priori from aspiring to the priesthood, was admitted in the declaration itself, and by all subsequent papal proclamations, to be false. Therefore, no further argument against this assertion is necessary.    

 

Preaching at San Domenico

Yesterday I joined the St. Mary's College group in a tour of Siena with Dr. Maria Elena Torchio and was honored to be invited to preach at Mass in the Friar's chapel at San Domenico.  The head of Saint Catherine is reserved in the tabernacle above the altar in this chapel, and is visible in the main church.  My preaching tied together the readings for the day from Paul's letter to Timothy, the life of St. Catherine and the Gospel readings for the week which have been about the sower of the seed of the Gospel.  My homily was about coming to recognize the importance of family, particularly women in the family in laying the groundwork of the faith in our hearts.  Paul credits Timothy's grandmother Lois and mother Eunice, both Jewish converts to the Christian faith, for the example of piety and faith they set.  St. Catherine was one of 25 children born to Lapa Piagenti during the time of the Black Death.  Many of Catherine's siblings, including her own twin, died.  Catherine's mystical visions began when she was five years old and by the time she was a teenager she resolved to seclude herself in prayer under the stairs of her home.  What a challenge she must have been for her mother! Catherine grew in faith and became a great preacher and prophet of truth, helping to the heal the schism in the group and bringing the Pope back to Rome.  When we read about the Great Sower who sows seeds on soil that is good, and soil that is too rocky, too thorny or too barren, we tend to think of ourselves as the soil and ask ourselves just which kind of soil we are.  But, I am challenged today instead to think of the role of family in preparing the soil for the Great Sower.  I recognize that it is my family and friends that have removed the rocky places and thorns in my heart and tilled the ground of my heart making it receptive to the Word of the Gospel.  I see now that this is the challenge of the Gospel this week.  We are each called to take up that responsibility ourselves, to soften the hearts of family and friends and colleagues, so that when the Great Sower comes, they are ready to receive the Word and grow in faith.         

Saints on the Colonnades

In the Vatican Archives I saw etchings of Mary Magdalen and all the Saints on the Colonnades, as well as prints of twelve women of the New Testament.  I have been asking the saints in my previous posts to intercede for us in the cause of ordaining women to the diaconate to administer the Sacraments of Reconciliation and Anointing of the Sick.   Mary of Nazareth, Mary of Magdala, Mary of Bethany, Mary of Emmaus and Mary of Rome, pray for us.  Phoebe, Lydia, Dorcas, Priscilla, Tryphena and Tryphosa, pray for us.  Marcella, Paula, Blesilla, Albina, Rufina, Eustochium and Melania, pray for us.  

Today I am praying for the 140 saints on the colonnades of Saint Peter's Basilica to intercede for this intention of ordaining women to the diaconate and extending to them the faculties to administer the Sacraments of Reconciliation and Anointing of the Sick. 

All you Saints on the Northeast arc: Gallicanus, Leonard, Petronilla, Vitalis, Thecla, Albert, Elizabeth of Portugal, Agatha, Ursula, Clare, Olympia, Lucia, Balbina, Apollonia, Remigius, Ignatius of Loyola, Benedict, Bernard, Francis of Assisi, Dominic and Macrina, pray for us.  All you Saints on the Northwest arc: Gallicanus Theodosia, Ephraim, Mary of Egypt, Mark the Evangelist, Febronia, Fabiola, Nilammon, Marcian, Eusignius, Marinus, Didymus, Apollonius, Candida, Fausta, Barbara, Benigno, Malchus, Mamas, Colomba, Pontian, Genesius, Agnes and Catherine of Alexandria, pray for us. All you Saints on the Constantinian wing: Gallicanus Justin, Cecilia, Frances of Rome, George, Mary Magdalene of Pazzi, Susanna, Martina, Nicholas of Bari, Nicholas of Tolentino, Francis Borgia, Francis de Sales, Theresa, Juliana, Julian, Celsus, Anastasiua, Vincent, Paul, John, Damian, Cosmas, Zosimus, Rufus, Protase, Gervase and Thomas Aquinas, pray for us. 

All you Saints on the Charlemagne wing: Gallicanus Dionysus, Pancras, Pelagia, Crescentius, Andrew Corsini, Constance, Felix, Achilleus, Nereus, Juliana, Paul, Basilissa, Hippolytus, Felician, Primus, Faustus, Timothy, Sebastian, Fabian, Prudentiana, Praxedes, Modestus, Vitus, Marcellinus, Mark and Bonaventure, pray for us.  All you Saints on the Southwest arc: Gallicanus Laurence, Stephen, Romanus, Eusebius, Spyridon, Ignatius of Antioch, Alexander, Leo the Great, Anastasius, John Chrysostom, Ubald, Gregory Nazianzus, Leo IV, Clement, Peter Celestine, Marcellus, Martin, Sylvester, Marcellinus, Galla, Catherine of Siena and Theodora, pray for us. All you Saints on the Southeast arc: Gallicanus Hyacinth, Francis Xavier, Cajetan Thiene, Philip Benizi, Philip Neri, Charles Borromeo, Anthony of Padua, Francis of Paola, Anthony the Abbot, Paul the Hermit, Peter Nolasco Joseph, Romuald, John of Matha, Louis Betrand, Bruno, Hilarion, Jerome, Theodore, Theobald and Norbert, pray for us.

Saints Peter and Paul, pray for us!

Journal of Law and Religion

I read an article in the Journal of Law and Religion XVIII, No. 1 by Dirk Jacobs a professor at the University of Brussels and researcher at the Institute of Social and Political Opinion Research at the Catholic University of Leuven called "Female ordination: a sociological analysis of a debate on rights and religion in Flanders (Belgium) in the mid Nineties."  Jacobs analyzes the debate about women’s ordination using the “Commonwealth model” of Boltanski and Thévenot finding that the model is inadequate because it fails to account for concepts of power.  He concludes that the debate is closely related to the struggle within the Roman Catholic Church about religious authority and the social relations accompanying it.

Jacobs points out that the range of views associated with the debate are not given equal value because they are impacted by the dynamic of power relations between men and women.  The rules are determined by male clergy who consistently make decisions that reinforce the power of men over women.  This raises the question about how useful the “Commonwealth model” for analyzing discourse about women’s ordination can be when the primary justification for the argument against is clearly guided by sexist values and those putting forth such views deny they are.  A similar problem arises in political debates in which arguments guided by racist values are put forth by people who deny being racist

Only by setting the debate within the construct of the religious field as a set of strategic relations between groups with diametrically different social positions within the existing structure, can the various discourses be analyzed effectively.   Without referencing the sexist nature of the religious field, itself, no proper analysis can be made of the arguments put forth by actors within the field. Jacobs concludes that “if the Roman Catholic Church remains unable to change its internal social relations, many Catholics will turn their backs to the institutionalized Church and will go and look for other venues for religious symbolism and alternative practices.”  This, in fact, is what has happened to a large extent, though some of us remain to carry on the debate.

Leadership Pathways

The Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) formed a process designed to engage the entire membership of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious in the ongoing process of becoming transformational leaders.  I am very much interested in knowing more about that.  In 2016 the LCWR had an audience with Pope Francis in which, among other things, they asked him to consider ordaining women deacons.  In response Pope Francis formed a commission to consider the question, but so far no official statements have come forth from that commission.   

My interest in women’s ordination is twofold.  In general, I have always seen this as one of the most important justice issues of our time.  The oppression of valiant and gifted women, and the Catholic Church’s denial of their authority and leadership ability, is directly related to the widespread abuse and oppression of women across all cultures and social strata.  Now, in addition to a strongly felt general interest in women’s ordination as a justice issue, I have a deep personal interest in ordination because of the urgent sacramental needs of the sick and dying in the hospital where I serve as a chaplain.  My interest in ordination does not come from a desire for the recognition that goes with the title of priest or deacon.  My interest stems from the daily recognition that the sick and dying need more chaplains with the faculties to hear their confession, anoint them and give them last communion.  As a chaplain my role in this is clear.  I do whatever helps the patient go to God with love and trust in God's mercy.  I am impelled to respond to this need if the need for reconciliation and anointing if no ordained priest is available.

Pope Francis expressed a valid concern to the Leadership Conference that he did not want to add women to the cancer of clericalism that besets the Church already.  Meanwhile, the number of priests and religious is radically declining year by year, and there are not enough to provide the pastoral service needed to keep our churches, schools and hospitals open, let alone minister to the sick and the dying.  One reason for the scarcity of vocations to the priesthood and religious life is the previously mentioned inequality and injustice against women.  One solution is to extend the faculties to administer the Sacraments of Reconciliation and Anointing of the Sick to deacons and then to ordain women to the diaconate.  Freestone’s book attests to the fact that changes were made over the centuries to allow religious and the laity to reserve and administer the Sacrament of Communion because the need and desire of the faithful to receive it exceeded the availability of priests to offer it.   

I join the Leadership Conference of Women Religious in advocating for ordaining women deacons because it is the right and just thing to do, and because it will allow the Church to better serve the needs of the faithful.  

Vatican Secret Archives

Today I was brought into the Vatican Secret Archives where the collections of ancient figures are kept.  I was allowed to view an immense portfolio of etchings by the Dutch painter Abraham Bloemart, among them were portraits of Melania Senior and Junior, as well as other saints I've been studying, Jerome, Fabiola, Marcella, Eustochium and Olympias.  This afternoon in the revised edition of A to Z of Ancient Greek and Roman Women by Margorie and Benjamin Lightman, I learned exactly how many of these women are related to one another.  Patrician families of fourth century Rome were a convoluted mix of highly regarded pagans in the Roman court and Christian converts called to the ascetic way of life.  This call was handed down from generation to generation through the women in the family.  Albina, Melania, Marcella, Paula all had elder relatives of the same name who inspired their call to consecrated themselves to Christ.   Paula the Elder married Toxotius and gave birth to Blesilla, Paulina, Eustochium, Rufina and Paula the Younger.  When she was widowed, Paula the Elder took up the ascetic way of life, as did all of her daughters either as virgins or widows.  Paula the Elder had one son named Toxotius (after his father) who married Marcella’s niece, Laeta.  Their daughter was Paula the Younger who followed in the footsteps of her grandmother of the same name and took over the management of the monastery in Palestine after the death of Paula the Elder and Eustochium.  Melania the Younger was the second cousin to Paula the Younger and the grandniece of Albina the Younger.  Albina the Elder was the sister of Marcella the Elder and the mother of Marcella the Younger and her sister Asella.  The brother of Albina and Marcella the Elder was the Roman prefect, C. Caeonius Rufus, who married Caecina Lolliana the High Priestess of Isis.  Their son, Caeonius Rufus Albinus, also a Roman prefect, married Lampodia who gave birth to Albina the Younger who married the Roman senator Valerius Publicola.  Melania the Younger was their only child and heir.  What a convoluted family tree!  The point is that, in addition to the influence of priests like Athanasius and Jerome and martyrs like Agnes, this group of women from one large and powerful patrician family were determined to change Roman society.  Sadly, their endeavors were rejected.  The Goths were able to easily sack Rome in 410 precisely because their efforts to transform the dissolute Roman society and the degenerate Roman army were rejected.  The names of these valiant Roman women, Albina, Marcella, Paula and Melania are nearly forgotten in the West, but they are highly venerated as saints in the Eastern Churches that benefited greatly from their resources and witness.