Pastor’s Corner for the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Year C, by Fr. Bruce Botha SJ

At the pre-Synod event held at the Cathedral earlier this year, the committee who had guided the listening group consultation on Women presented their report to the gathered delegates. A section of their report touched on the experience of women in the Church, which I quote below. I think it is important for we as Church to listen humbly to the experience of women, to reflect on our teachings and our practice, and in the light of that reflection discern where it is that God may be calling us to as Church. I invite all parishioners to attend our next Trinity Lecture, on Sunday 28 August, on the topic “Women in the Church: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow.”

 

“Presently clericalism and/or patriarchy in the church denies women’s equality and full participation and often renders women subservient in parish life practically (‘tea ladies’), in pastoral decisions (PPC secretaries), and liturgical ministries (only men as EMHC or boys as servers). Women do occupy leadership roles in some parishes, in PPC, as EMHC and girls are servers. However, while women make up most of the active membership in any parish, they are often taken for granted, dismissed or side-lined in pastoral worship, life and decision making. Even in the liturgy the language is exclusive (brethren), and male images of God predominate. In planning for these listening sessions, the fact that a category for ‘Women’ came under the wider topic of ‘Marginalized’ is further indication of this.

 

The moral teachings of the church weigh disproportionally on the marginalized, especially women. Unwed mothers, divorced women, single mothers, all live with stigma or judgment from the church, including its clerics. Men who may be responsible, never suffer the same ostracization. Women shared having been denied reception of the Eucharist or being removed from ministries in situations of unwed pregnancy or divorce. The church’s teaching on artificial birth control must be changed. Adhering to ‘Natural Family Planning’ resulted in women bearing 4, even 5 children within a space of four years. Guilt continues to weigh on those who use other means of birth control.”