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PDF versionA Vatican voice for women theologians
by John L Allen Jr on Aug. 27, 2010
A piece in Saturday's edition of L’Osservatore Romano on the female role in Catholic theology is fascinating -- both for its content and its venue in a semi-official Vatican organ. The author is Lucetta Scaraffia, who has in effect emerged as L’Osservatore’s in-house feminist.
It’s generally a mistake to think that pieces that appear in L’Osservatore necessarily represent what “the Vatican” thinks. It’s more accurate to say they represent what some in the Vatican may be thinking, but there’s rarely any direct cause-and-effect relationship between a piece in L’Osservatore and an eventual policy choice in the Holy See.
That said, Scaraffia has been producing fascinating pieces for the Vatican newspaper. Back in March she opined that greater participation of women in decision-making in the church would have “ripped the veil of masculine secrecy” that covered the sexual abuse of children by clergy. More recently, she asserted that post-Vatican II acceptance of altar girls means “the end of any attribution of impurity” to the female sex.
This time, Scaraffia asserts in a front-page essay that women too often are consigned to “subordinate roles” in the church, citing a recent study of ecclesiastical schools in Italy which found that women represent “just over ten percent of all theology professors, with very few teaching strictly theological disciplines.”
“Women are basically excluded from important sectors of theological research, such as liturgy and pastoral theology,” Scaraffia writes, “while they are attaining a bit of space in theological anthropology and spiritual theology.”
What Scaraffia is describing, of course, is the situation in pontifical institutions in Rome such as the Salesianum and the Lateran, and other ecclesiastical institutions in Italy. The extent to which it applies to theology faculties in other parts of the world, including the United States, varies from place to place.
Scaraffia blames two forces for the limited presence of women in core theological disciplines, at least in Italian ecclesiastical institutions.
First, she says, the situation reveals “strong resistance from other faculty, the overwhelming majority of whom are ecclesiastics, to the entrance of women into disciplines which are central for Catholic culture.”
Second, she blames the first generation of women theologians, who she says identified so strongly with minorities and with themes of radical feminism that they shut themselves out of mainstream ecclesiastical conversation.
“Wanting to give a voice, sometimes a-critically, to all the ‘marginalized,’ feminist theologians sometimes ended up marginalizing themselves,” Scaraffia asserts.
Nontheless, Scaraffia writes, both women theologians and other female voices in the Church, such as women writers and editors of Catholic publications, have achieved a great deal and deserve to play a greater role.
“The next step that women must take, and that men must embrace,” Scaraffia concludes, “is true access to the culture. That is, to exit from the space of exclusively feminine themes and to carry their point of view in the worlds which women have so far not penetrated very much, such as the theology faculties.”
Scaraffia, 62, teaches at Rome’s La Sapienza University and writes for a number of Italian papers, but she’s best known in Catholic circles as a contributor to L’Osservatore Romano.
Well John, have you finally
Well John, have you finally begun to realize that women's issues/needs/concerns should have found a place as one of the Trends for the Church? Good for Ms. Scaraffia for finding and using her voice. Good for L'OSSERVATORE ROMANO for publishing her....
It's interesting that Ms.
It's interesting that Ms. Scaraffia says women must take the next step of "true access to the culture". Although it's not clear from this blog what culture is meant, it is clear that access implies a person's ability to enter, use, be integral to, etc. It connotes gatekeeper(s), control by the other. How, pray tell, is that a NEXT step for women that men should embrace? Isn't the next step a male responsibility? This becomes more men's responsibility because, according to Ms. Scaraffia, women have been shut out for identifying with the marginalized. How can a woman who doesn't identify with the marginalized in a feminine-unfriendly milieu "truly access" the culture? Women of this type usually resort to "feminine wiles" to gain access; that is, they use a bit of subterfuge as patriarchially dominated women have done throughout the ages. They cannot then be true to themselves precisely as women. This is not feminism (radical or gentile) at all. This is bowing to what has always been and whatever access is ALLOWED becomes deferential, token, merely statistical, but still male dominated. Women have only gained access because allowed. That's not "true access" (Ms Scaraffia's term) in my opinion. I hope that the feminist theologians she feels badly about don't change their stripes - ever.
In my book the "next step" is up to men in places where women have no access. It is their responsibility to listen to, respect, honor-in-action, hire, seek out ways to promote women - especially those unabashedly feminist - and so on. It is then up to women to embrace these avenues of true access to other than exclusively feminist themes, "such as the theology faculties" in Italian (and other) seminaries. "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself." FDR
Thanks for this article. It gave me the opportunity to join great many women over the globe in raising our voices on feminist concerns.
Good for you Joan Krebs.
Good for you Joan Krebs. Your analysis is absolutely correct.
Heaven help us, first we have
Heaven help us, first we have to endure "enlightened" liberal theologians
offering us various dubious alternatives to the Pope, Our Church, and our Faith, all of course, well thought out and rationalized to meet what ever politically correct trend avails itself. Now we have to listen to women theologians as well? Here is an idea from a rank and file Catholic tired of this nonsense. Bring back the real female "Theologians" of the Church, the Nuns that offered up their time, patience and lives teaching in Catholic schools. They may not have marched in protests in mini skirts to save the whales ( or whatever ) but they did show up day after day to teach the faith
to thousands of kids who have never forgotten their sacrifice and devotion. When this life is over and the chits are in, my guess is that one of these kind women will have done more for Heavens cause, than most of the "theologians", whether men of women, combined.
It seems from the gist of
It seems from the gist of your opinions, you think your opinions are correct...and they are correct, 100% of the time, in that they are your opinions...in that vein you are always right. Alas however, you are not entitled to your own set of facts. If what you opine is indeed a fact; my guess is that 'heaven did not help us'.
Heaven help us do we have to
Heaven help us do we have to listen to reactionary catholics like Joseph too.
Since women are banned from ordination and since many catholic colleges and universities hardly mention women theologians a more functional idea would be to ban misogynists and promote feminists.
Zero tolerance for sexist men and women should be the goal. Traditionalists that want to make women even more powerless and chained the world over to men as their overlords and call it "holy" should be banned.
"Second, she blames the first
"Second, she blames the first generation of women theologians, who she says identified so strongly with minorities and with themes of radical feminism that they shut themselves out of mainstream ecclesiastical conversation."
So, women are to blame for their own repression and for being a voice for the voiceless! By that thinking, Jesus should never have consorted with lepers and prostitutes. I say God Bless those brave women who spoke truth to power.
I say God Bless those brave
I say God Bless those brave women who spoke truth to power.
To describe much of what women like Elizabeth Johnson and Joan Chittister have spoken as "truth" is to make a mockery of the term.
I also say a resounding God
I also say a resounding God Bless those brave women who spoke truth to power.
Oh, to wake up with this
Oh, to wake up with this article makes my day. Thank you.
If she writes in the official
If she writes in the official newspaper of the Vatican, her ortodoxy is garanteed. No doubt that always will talk "politically correctly"
In Canada, many of the
In Canada, many of the Catholic women that seem to be in positions of power oppose the Magisterium's teachings on Faith and Morals. It breaks my heart as a well educated Catholic woman to watch other well educated Catholic women oppose the teachings of Jesus on life (they support a women's so-called right to choose abortion) killing a child at its most vulnerable stage of life and a sample of opposition to morals is their support of homosexual behaviour.
As well, they show their disrespect for God as Father when they demean the Blessed Trinity by refusing to call God Father (In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit) instead they say Creator, Redeemer and Sanctifier. Someone should inform these women whom are heralded as Catholic theologians that these terms of the Blessed Trinity represent function, not whom they are as God in three persons.
There are many Catholic women throughout the world who subject themselves to their faith and focus on what God is calling them to do. Two Catholic women that exemplify this brilliantly are Alice von Hildebrand and EWTN's Mother Angelica.
The humility of Mother Mary, Catherine of Siena and Edith Stein are the qualities that would be required for women to have more predominant roles in the church today. Too many are subjectively imposing their rights and freedoms above the Commandments and the Magisterium.
I suggest they study the life of Catherine of Siena, especially HOW she confronted problems in the church.
Is Lucetta Scaraffia's
Is Lucetta Scaraffia's article available on the web? In English?
Mr. Allen omits a very
Mr. Allen omits a very important woman theologian in the Church who speaks with much more authority than Lucetta Scaraffia: Sister Sara Butler.
Good news!John Allen has
Good news!John Allen has finally discovered that there are women in the
Catholic Church.
Long time 'a comin!
So, the marginalized should
So, the marginalized should stop identifying with the marginalized, be good girls and start giving the feminine touch to real theology. Spoken like a true sellout.
Are women theologians and
Are women theologians and Allen familiar with "When Women Were Priests" by KAREN JO TORJESEN? If reprinted, it would become a bestseller again.
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