Engaging Allies and Adversaries

I confess that I was more than a little thrilled to grasp the bright blue United Nations ID badge in my hands, for this official recognition of Women’s Ordination Conference into the “Economic and Social Council” (ECOSOC) of the international organization has been a long time coming.  Although WOC has been present at the United Nations’ Commission on the Status of Women on a few previous occasions, those were as partners with other organizations.  Finally, we have our own independent status and can continue to participate in this important arena to advance the cause of gender equality.

This involvement with the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) at the UN is particularly important to me because although I am very aware of how crucial gender equality is for the state of the Church itself, the wider ramifications of the Catholic Church’s discrimination against women are especially compelling to me. I cannot tolerate a Church that rather than serving as a role model for society is complicit in treating women as less than fully human.

Last year, WOC was part of a coalition called Catholics for Human Rights that sponsored a presentation at the CSW highlighting the many ways that the Holy See, as a Permanent Observer member state, wields remarkable influence to obstruct the work of the UN in the area of women’s and LGBTQ rights.  Rather than supporting and promoting signature UN documents like the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), the Holy See blocks the implementation of basic human rights that have been the bedrock of the United Nations community.  The Beijing Platform for Action, adopted at the Fourth World Conference on Women, the current UN Sustainable Development Goals and many other foundational documents all call for full gender equality.  Only men hold governmental decision-making power at the Vatican – and indeed in almost every parish around the globe- and the force of this explicit, unequivocal and systematic exclusion of women is insidious.  With a presence in every country in the world and official sanction at the UN itself, the Holy See enables practices that contribute to the exploitation of women physically, psychologically and sexually.

In celebration of the 25^th anniversary of the Beijing Platform for Action, this year’s CSW will engage in a review and analysis of this blueprint for advancing women’s rights.  At the first planning meeting that I attended in October, I joined a cluster where we were discussing “participation, accountability and gender-responsive institutions.”  This meeting took place shortly after it had been made obvious that the Vatican was not going to allow even one woman to vote at the Amazonian Synod, despite multiple demonstrations, petitions, letters and other voluble requests.  A more vivid illustration of a NON gender-responsive institution would be hard to find! WOC has its work cut out for it as it attempts to clarify to non-Catholics as well as Catholics the importance of gender equality in this influential institution.

Participating as active members of United Nations Women will provide WOC with a platform to engage both allies and adversaries as we collaborate in promoting the gender equality that has been foundational for the UN. As the Beijing Platform for Action says, “Women’s empowerment and their full participation on the basis of equality in all spheres of society, including participation in the decision-making process and access to power, are fundamental for the achievement of equality, development and peace…” Gender equality in the Catholic Church will be a powerful source of guidance and inspiration for justice and peace in the world.