From Rome, WOC urges Vatican to end discrimination against women

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 15, 2008  

Aisha S. Taylor, executive director of the Women’s Ordination Conference (WOC), issued the following statement during a press conference today in Rome organized by WOC and Catholic women’s ordination activists representing thirteen countries during the Synod of Bishops on the Bible.

"During the Synod of Bishops, we are lifting up the voices of Catholics from around the world that call for women to be fully included in our Church, especially as priests, deacons, and bishops.  We denounce the injustice of denying women’s rightful role.  We urge the hierarchy to recognize women’s prominent leadership roles in the Bible.  Since Pope Benedict XVI and other synod delegates have called for creative strategies to use the Bible to improve people lives, what better way than to begin with affirming women’s equality, as recorded in the Bible, and taking the necessary to steps admit them to the priesthood? 

We are encouraged that six women have been included as experts at the synod because this is an improvement from the embarrassment of the 2002 synod when no women were included in this capacity. It is also good that there are nineteen female auditors, marking the first time women observers are in the majority.  However, this is not enough.  This adds up to women being 25 of the total 240 delegates—a mere 10 percent of the synod, with most of them not having a voice, and none of them having a vote on the synod floor.  We, as a Church, have a clear mandate to do better. 

"In Pope Benedict XVI’s statement to open the synod, I was pleased that he reiterated a key theme of his papacy—without God, it is impossible for there to be a society in which justice, freedom, and peace reign.  He also said that preaching the gospel is a form of building a better world, and I agree.  However, in preaching the gospel, church leaders must not omit the stories of women’s prominent leadership roles.  The gospel truth is that God created women and men of equal stature and dignity, and the church must reflect this reality in all ministries.  Only when this truth is lived out in church structures, will the hierarchy be able to authentically work toward a better world, one of lasting peace and justice for which our pope calls. 

"Also in the pope’s opening remarks, he stated that he does not want the synod to be concerned only with the role of the Bible within church affairs, but with its role on a much broader scale.  I was heartened by this statement because it is important to focus on the impact of the Bible on society.  As a young Catholic woman who grew up in the U.S., the only institution that has ever explicitly excluded me solely because of my gender is the Roman Catholic church.  This is not acceptable, and it is one reason why I and many Catholics like me are passionate about changing it.  The exclusion of women from the priesthood is a grave injustice within the church and it has a disastrous impact on the world.

"Why does it matter that women are excluded from ordination?  It matters because the ban on women’s ordination is a blatant example of sexism.   It matters because the Vatican has enormous cultural and political influence in international affairs, with a seat at the United Nations and the ability to meet nearly at whim with many powerful heads of state.  Without women’s experiences in most church decision making bodies, the Vatican’s influence on public policy regarding women’s issues around the world, especially in developing countries with large Catholic populations, has been devastating. The Church is operating in the world as incomplete, with only one leg to stand on and one arm to extend.  Canon 1024, which states that only men can validly receive the sacrament of ordination, is unjust and does not value the Word of God as depicted in the Bible.  It must be changed. 

"While it is disturbing to think about the state of our church due to the ban on women’s ordination, it is exciting to imagine the difference women priests would make.  Of course, it would not solve every problem, but it would certainly help many of them.  By including women as priests, the church would not only model Jesus’ radical example of equality as recorded in the Bible, it would have a powerful and positive impact on solving the complex problems we face today. In a world divided by poverty, stunned by economic crisis, and continually reeling from sexism, racism, homophobia, and many forms of oppression, it’s long overdue for the Vatican to use all of its resources to work toward a solution. 

"Many Biblical scholars have made explicit the Gospel mandate to ease the suffering of the world and to work for justice.  As Pope Benedict XVI opened the synod, he stated that only the Word of God can change human hearts at the deepest level.  I agree, and that is why it is my hope today that, during this synod, the Word of God opens the hearts of the hierarchy and leads them to take steps to include women as full and equal partners, in even the ordained ministries.  If this happens, the hierarchy will be better able to provide a model and a vision for a world in great need of justice, equality and peace."