I don’t see men here as being “defensive.” I see those who know the differentiated roles within the Church to be appropriate to the Founder’s own practice (apostleship: few, male; vs. discipleship: all, both sexes).
To all:
“Decision-making,” among modernist Catholics, is always a subtext, and here a text. Secular women always introduce this when discussing “equality,” and even participation: supposedly women have to have “as many” positions of decision-making as men do, and/or women have to be “visible” in “high-profile” and “critical” or “key” spots. (Anything else, of course, is insulting tokenism.) The same goes for those who fancy themselves women’s “advocates.” Same suppositions, same secular model.
**The vast majority of modern-style parishes in the States have been almost utterly laicized in their decision-making, and within that, heavily feminized. ** OTOH, many, if not most, traditionalist-style parishes look and feel very different, and whatever politics exist, are invisible to any layperson because the activity of that parish is singular: to bring souls closer to God, and the responsibility for the leadership in that area is always the pastor’s. There aren’t that many “decisions” to make (probably what Ed was hinting at) because the business of the parish is largely sacramental, devotional, and of prayer, all of which are the pastor’s prerogative to direct and control. There is no inherent “right” to “decision-making” in any of the latter. As to the music, it is largely in Latin, and choirmasters serve at the pleasure of the pastor. In such parishes, lay women and lay men are not making many “decisions,” at least regarding “parish life.”
That’s a contrast to some modern parishes, where the order of visibility is:
Lay women
Lay men
The pastor
Associated priests
I didn’t hear Pope Francis mention that parishes were where he was encouraging “a greater role” (for women). There are already women operating in the Curia, and elsewhere in the Holy See. Did he mean that? Don’t know. There are women who head up all kinds of religious and lay apostolate activities in the Church already, as well. Also women in decision-making roles in Theology schools, etc.