Rosemary Radford Ruether: Prophetic Pillar in the Catholic Church
In the Roman Catholic Church, feminist theologian and scholar, Rosemary Radford Ruether, was a prophetic pillar. She shares the same status as the early church Fathers—Origen, John Chrysostom, Gregory of Nazianzus, John Cassian, and St. Augustine; Women Doctors of the Church—St. Hildegard von Bingen, St. Catherine of Siena, St. Teresa of Ávila, and St. Thérèse de Lisieux; and well-known Catholic male theologians—Thomas Aquinas, Ignatius of Loyola and Karl Rahner. Like them, Ruether was a church visionary and reformer.
Ruether was also a fierce advocate for Catholic women’s rights to education and self-determination, especially as related to reproductive rights and health. Her vision for a more inclusive church brought her to the first Women’s Ordination Conference in 1975, where she was among the keynote speakers.
I recently co-edited a festschrift volume, a collection of writings in honor of a scholar, dedicated to Ruether, Valuing Lives, Healing Earth: Religion, Gender, and Life on Earth. In it, Whitney Bauman writes that Ruether was an intersectional scholar before the term was coined, in 1989, by Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw. Ruether also drew connections between the exploitation of women and the earth before French writer Françoise d’Eaubonne coined the word eco-feminism in 1974. Ruether’s vision was not only on the pulse of the time but was often ahead of it.
The trajectory of Ruether’s writings also demonstrate the depth and breadth of her vast scholarly knowledge. As a feminist, she utilized historical evidence to offer an inclusive interpretation of Christian history and doctrine. She also brought in new perspectives from feminism that emphasized the significant role of women within the Christian tradition. Ruether had the ability to foresee a long-term vision for a church and world steeped in justice. Her ultimate desire was for a Roman Catholic Church as a liberatory institution for all, as Paul states in Galatians: “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Gal. 3:28).
Ruether’s books reflected on inequality in the church. She examined the conflict between Jews and Christians in Faith and Fratricide (1974). She looked at sexism and patriarchy in the church in New Woman/New Earth (1975), Sexism and God-Talk(1983), and Goddesses and the Divine Feminine (2005). She exposed the Catholic church’s role in the global colonial project in America, Amerikkka (2007) and in Christianity and Social Systems (2008). And before Pope Francis wrote Laudato si’, she addressed issues of ecological injustice in Gaia and God (1994), Women Healing Earth (1996), and Integrating Ecofeminism, Globalization, and World Religions (2005). She elaborated on these themes for decades in To Change the World (1981); Disputed Questions: On Being a Christian (1982); Contemporary Roman Catholicism (1987); and Catholic Does Not Equal the Vatican: A Vision for Progressive Catholicism (2008). Ruether’s vision for an inclusive Catholic church is relevant and topical today for all members of the Women’s Ordination Conference. All her books are the new catechesis for our church!
For me, Ruether was an inspirational Catholic mentor and role model. Her scholarship was always centered within a Catholic social justice framework. Although many Catholics have left the church because they have felt disempowered by official doctrine and dogma, Ruether opted not to leave. Instead, despite aspersions on her religious identity, she consistently affirmed her Catholic faith because it reliably informed her life, her scholarship, and activist commitments. She was often asked why she remained a Catholic, to which she would reply: “As a feminist, I can come up with only one reason to stay in the Catholic church: to try to change it. You’re never going to change it if you leave.”
In the 21st century, Catholic women hold the key, if only the church would listen. I am hopeful that Pope Francis is now open to hearing the voices of all Catholics around the globe. Though not feminist he is engaging in a democratic process. Women are an integral part of that process and have for too long been silenced.
In honor of Rosemary’s memory, I am making myself available to Catholic pastoral leaders and religious educators. I invite all of us to remember Rosemary by taking tangible and practical actions. Let’s all bring Rosemary’s voice into our church; a church that currently needs to hear her voice. I leave you all with this question: Will you, as of today, help be the voice of Rosemary Radford Ruether in our church?
Editor’s note: This article originally ran in the Summer/Fall issue of New Women, New Church.