Pope Stresses 'Fundamental' Value of Women in Church

[anrmenchaca47]

ROME, April 3 (Reuters) - Pope Francis stressed the “fundamental” importance of women in the Roman Catholic Church on Wednesday, a message hailed as a significant shift from the position of his predecessor Benedict.

Supporters of liberal reform of the Church have called on it to give a greater voice to women and recognise their importance to the largest religious denomination in the world, and some groups call for women to be ordained as priests.

The head of the Women’s Ordination Conference, which calls for women to be treated equally in the Church and to be allowed to become priests and bishops, said Francis’s words were the most encouraging she had heard in her lifetime, but did not go far enough.

voanews.com/content/pope-stresses-fundamental-value-of-women-in-church/1634201.html

 

[_Abyssinia]

Horrible article. Talking about the role of women in the Church does not indicate that there will be any changes to ordination

Congregation for Doctrine of the Faith released a statement on November 18th 1995 regarding the ban on women from priesthood

Dubium: Whether the teaching that the Church has no authority whatsoever to confer priestly ordination on women, which is presented in the Apostolic Letter Ordinatio Sacerdotalis to be held definitively, is to be understood as belonging to the deposit of faith.

Responsum: Affirmative.

This teaching requires definitive assent, since, founded on the written Word of God, and from the beginning constantly preserved and applied in the Tradition of the Church, it has been set forth infallibly by the ordinary and universal Magisterium (cf. Second Vatican Council, Dogmatic Constitution on the Church Lumen Gentium 25, 2). Thus, in the present circumstances, the Roman Pontiff, exercising his proper office of confirming the brethren (cf. Lk 22:32), has handed on this same teaching by a formal declaration, explicitly stating what is to be held always, everywhere, and by all, as belonging to the deposit of the faith.

The Sovereign Pontiff John Paul II, at the Audience granted to the undersigned Cardinal Prefect, approved this Reply, adopted in the Ordinary Session of this Congregation, and ordered it to be published.

vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_19951028_dubium-ordinatio-sac_en.html

 

[SamH]

It’s almost as if the press thinks the Pope isn’t Catholic.

 

[McCall1981]

Just the media trying cause scandal where there isn’t one. What the Pope said about women was strongly orthodox and very re-assuring for those of us who were or are worried.

I’ll refer you to Fr. Z:

wdtprs.com/blog/2013/04/pope-francis-general-audience-focused-on-women-feminists-arent-going-to-be-happy/

 

[vames]

I’ll refer you to Fr. Z:

wdtprs.com/blog/2013/04/pope-francis-general-audience-focused-on-women-feminists-arent-going-to-be-happy/

Fr Z’s post is disconcerting. First, he shows his total ignorance (or disrespect) about the movement of Madres of Plaza de Mayo, adding a photo from one of their marches and writing “Mothers Marching in the Plaza de Mayo morphed into Mothers Marching for the Resurrection of Jesus”. No, they did not morph into anything, they still want to find out where are their dissappeared children and relatives. That’s why they march, not because it’s Easter, and that’s why they petition Pope Francis. I thought a priest would be more sensitive to these people’s plight.

Then he introduces the idea that angels were the first witnesses of Jesus’ resurrection, not the women. OK, Z doesn’t like the idea that women were the first witnesses or/and he wants to pose as being smarter or better informed than the Pope. But Z should know that Jesus didn’t come into the world and didn’t rise from the dead for the sake of angels. He became man, died and rose from the dead for the sake of humankind. The fact that angels were present or not at Jesus’ birth and resurrection doesn’t add anything to the significance of Nativity and Resurrection for humankind. We don’t build a theology around the fact that Gabriel was an angel. Or around the fact that it was an angel who told Joseph to stay together with Mary.

 

[McCall1981]

I don’t think the picture or the part about Angels is really the point of the article. He’s just saying that technically an Angel saw the risen Christ before the women, which is true. There’s no theological implication there, and I don’t think it’s intended to be negative towards the Pope.

The point is that in his opinion (and mine) Francis was seemingly very orthodox in speaking about the role of women in the Church, and that issue is what this thread is about.

 

[tabycat]

It’s almost as if the press thinks the Pope isn’t Catholic.

Or they are trying to prove that they are more Catholic then the Pope is.

 

[markomalley]

Let me know what you guys think…opinions please.

UPDATE 1-Pope stresses “fundamental” value of women in Church

(snip)

You may wish to read the whole audience (from Radio Vaticana)

Also, you may want to consider the words of Archbishop Charles Chaput at WYD 2011:

We make a very serious mistake if we rely on media like the New York Times, Newsweek, CNN, or MSNBC for reliable news about religion. These news media simply don’t provide trustworthy information about religious faith—and sometimes they can’t provide it, either because of limited resources or because of their own editorial prejudices. These are secular operations focused on making a profit. They have very little sympathy for the Catholic faith, and quite a lot of aggressive skepticism toward any religious community that claims to preach and teach God’s truth.
​

 

[McCall1981]

Also, you may want to consider the words of Archbishop Charles Chaput at WYD 2011:

We make a very serious mistake if we rely on media like the New York Times, Newsweek, CNN, or MSNBC for reliable news about religion. These news media simply don’t provide trustworthy information about religious faith—and sometimes they can’t provide it, either because of limited resources or because of their own editorial prejudices. These are secular operations focused on making a profit. They have very little sympathy for the Catholic faith, and quite a lot of aggressive skepticism toward any religious community that claims to preach and teach God’s truth.
​

Thanks for posting this. This is SO important for me to try to keep in mind, something I struggle with everyday

 

[OxygenMan]

When did Pope Benedict ever say that women weren’t important to the Church? He never said that and these people are being disrespectful to him in implying it.

 

[McCall1981]

When did Pope Benedict ever say that women weren’t important to the Church? He never said that and these people are being disrespectful to him in implying it.

People like this are disrespectful to him in every way they possibly can be, its disgusting. Benedict visited the exact same youth prison that Francis just did, said mass, stayed for Q and A sessions, then corrosponded by letter with the kids later. No one noticed or cared when he did it. Its absolutly horrible how the media degrades Benedict. They’ll move on from bashing Benedict to bashing Francis soon.

 

[JMJ91]

This is what Marinella Perroni thinks regarding the whole subject of women. She is a Catholic theologian.

ingenere.it/node/3256

 

[Digitonomy]

"OxygenMan:

When did Pope Benedict ever say that women weren’t important to the Church? He never said that and these people are being disrespectful to him in implying it.

People like this are disrespectful to him in every way they possibly can be, its disgusting. Benedict visited the exact same youth prison that Francis just did, said mass, stayed for Q and A sessions, then corrosponded by letter with the kids later. No one noticed or cared when he did it. Its absolutly horrible how the media degrades Benedict. They’ll move on from bashing Benedict to bashing Francis soon.

Despite the wishful thinking of some in the article, the beliefs of Francis and Benedict are very similar. It’s the message that’s different. By making this point so prominently in a homily early in his pontificate, Francis got people’s attention. I’m sure Benedict made similar remarks buried deep in an encyclical or exhortation or book, but the point just wasn’t as clear. The same is true about visiting the youth prison for Holy Thursday mass.

As you say, soon enough the honeymoon will be over and the overall tone of coverage will be a little less glowing. But even then Francis will continue to use the media to spread his message. It’s simply a talent he has, that Benedict lacked. In this media-driven world, I think it’s a critical talent, to be able to get people - especially those who don’t agree with the Church 100% - to nonetheless listen to what the Church has to say.

 

[Elzee]

Despite the wishful thinking of some in the article, the beliefs of Francis and Benedict are very similar. It’s the message that’s different. By making this point so prominently in a homily early in his pontificate, Francis got people’s attention. I’m sure Benedict made similar remarks buried deep in an encyclical or exhortation or book, but the point just wasn’t as clear. The same is true about visiting the youth prison for Holy Thursday mass.

As you say, soon enough the honeymoon will be over and the overall tone of coverage will be a little less glowing. But even then Francis will continue to use the media to spread his message. It’s simply a talent he has, that Benedict lacked. In this media-driven world, I think it’s a critical talent, to be able to get people - especially those who don’t agree with the Church 100% - to nonetheless listen to what the Church has to say.

Yes, it is a talent Francis has but he needs to learn the power of it. Already his words and actions are being liberalized and once that takes hold in the secular world and in the liberal clergy who are waiting for any opening to move their agenda forward ( e.g. - washing women’s feet) it will take decades to bring a new generation of priests in . We were making progress under JPII and Benedict with a return to orhtodoxy - seminaries are full again with priests who love the Church and our faith and who will teach it faithfully and boldly. It won’t take long for seminaries to lapse back into the horrid days after Vatican II where orthodoxy was thrown out the window. I am seeing it happen already.

 

[JMJ91]

Yes, it is a talent Francis has but he needs to learn the power of it. Already his words and actions are being liberalized and once that takes hold in the secular world and in the liberal clergy who are waiting for any opening to move their agenda forward ( e.g. - washing women’s feet) it will take decades to bring a new generation of priests in . We were making progress under JPII and Benedict with a return to orhtodoxy - seminaries are full again with priests who love the Church and our faith and who will teach it faithfully and boldly. It won’t take long for seminaries to lapse back into the horrid days after Vatican II where orthodoxy was thrown out the window. I am seeing it happen already.

Sometimes some actions speak louder than some words.