By Virginia Saldanha
Mumbai, Oct 15, 2024: Matthew 7:3-5, came to mind when I read extracts from Archbishop Gabriele Caccia’s speech on October 9 at the third committee of the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly, reported in Vatican News.
“For a just society to thrive, it is essential to advance and recognize women’s capacities by combating all harmful stereotypes that deny them opportunities,” said the archbishop who is the Holy See’s Permanent Observer to the United Nations, addressing a session dedicated to the Advancement of Women.
“Changing both, attitudes and practices to support women and men in their roles within the family and society is essential,” he said.
Quoting from Pope Francis, the archbishop described domestic violence as “a poisonous weed that plagues our society and must be pulled up from its roots.”
Very well said, but what is the Church doing about these issues?
To begin with, why has the Church not delegated a woman to speak up for women at the UN?
Having relentlessly worked to deal with the causes of violence against women within the Church and society for over 30 years, I and several other women have persistently come up against a blank wall. The Women’s Desk in the Vatican which I visited in 2000, does not exist anymore. The work of the Women’s Desks/Commission/offices in the Church has been reduced to mere tokenism. There is no real empowerment.
For empowerment, as the archbishop rightly pointed out, we need to work to change both attitudes and practices. Very rarely do you hear a homily denouncing domestic violence. Successive secretaries in the Women’s Commission have been trying to get parishes to set up Parish Women’s Cells to reach out to victims of domestic violence, and to conduct awareness sessions in the parishes, but the resistance to starting such cells has been unbelievable.
The Synthesis document of the Synod on Synodality of 2023, no. 9a stated, “Sacred Scripture testifies to the complementarity and reciprocity of women and men.” This teaching stereotypes women and men and prevents the advancement of women. Stereotyping leads to one group considering itself superior to another. It can lead to low self-esteem in girls including a low self-body image.
The archbishop himself points out that “It is essential to advance and recognize women’s capacities by combating all harmful stereotypes that deny them opportunities”, why does he not look within to recognize how women in the Church have consistently been stereotyped and denied equality with men by barring them from priestly ordination.
Stereotyping has led to a lot of sexual violence against women, including all the crimes that accompany sexual violence like trafficking, prostitution, and pornography.
The Church has continued to ignore complaints of clergy sex abuse against all vulnerable persons who are mainly women and children. The victims are left to their mental trauma and are never supported unless they subject themselves to being silenced. If victims insist on pursuing justice, they are abandoned to suffer the trauma.
Recently Pope Francis appointed 22 cardinals in the Catholic Church from the peripheries! Why did he not think about appointing a woman? Appointment of cardinals is a title granted as recognition for service, and totally at the discretion of the Pope, so why not a woman in the 21st century? Women can be appointed as cardinal deacons.
I, therefore, call upon the hierarchy in the Church to remove the log in their own eye before they point a finger at society. Religious teachings have the power to change mindsets and empower people spiritually and socially as well. You have the power to do so and give yourselves credibility to speak for women. Jesus has given us enough examples.
The writer’s effort to highlight the women’s status in the Catholic Church is appreciated. I wish to tell the writer the following:
1) The Holy Roman Catholic Church was, is and will be “male-dominated”.
2) Neither the Pope/Vatican nor the Indian church hierarchy is ‘seriously’ bothered about the women empowerment.
3) In the Indian society it is mostly “woman versus woman”. Likewise, in the church too, the same scenario prevails.
4) I have seen in many women religious congregations the Superior or the Provincial ill-treating other nuns. CRI has done very little about it.
5) I have spoken to many religious nuns of different congregations about woman priesthood. A vast majority of them (whom I have spoken) is against woman priesthood.
6) CRI (women section) and other women associations in the Catholic Church in India lack sensitization on the pathetic condition of women in the church.
7) Of course, some women in the church talk a lot about women empowerment on various platforms. But concretely very little is done. This is the irony.
I second most of the points raised by M.L. Satyan in particular point 4. In Sisters of Mercy Holy Cross Convent (Under Auxilium Parish Kolkata), the superior behaves with other sisters as if they were her servants. While others get transferred, she doesn’t and stays on to torment all. In the same school, a teacher was not paid her salary during maternity leave. And they call themselves Sisters of Mercy Holy Cross! The same school authorities in 1994 had objected to one of its teachers going home (close to the school) to breast-feed her new-born daughter during lunch breaks! They insisted that she arrange someone at home to bottle-feed her child or get her child brought to school for breast-feeding! The school (Preparatory) is deliberately unregistered and pays very low salary and increment to its teachers.
Virginia Saldanha is truly a prophet! And the patriarchal hierarchy ignores her in order to retain their powers and privileges.