Justice for Women

In his discussion of justice in contemporary society in his social encyclical Pacem in Terris(1963) Pope John XXIII observed that one of the "signs of the times" was women's new consciousness of their human dignity and their growing refusal to be treated as objects or as less than full human persons(no.41)

However, half a century later, this sign of the times continues to be largely ignored within the catholic church itself, especially in its structures and canon law: women remain the objects of men's decisions (for instance no woman has a vote at the present synod on the family )and the governance of the church is reserved to men only.

There are seven sacraments for men, but only six for women. Because of their gender women are excluded from the sacrament of orders and therefore from all the ordained ministries. Women's vocations are still determined and limited by their gender, not by their charisms or gifts of the Spirit. This situation has been described by people like Mairead Corrigan Maguire, an Irish catholic and a Nobel Peace Prize winner, as “deeply offensive, dehumanising, demoralising, and a form of spiritual abuse”. (Women's Ordination Conference Dublin 2001).

Our vision for the church is that of a community where there is radical gender equality, where all forms of discrimination and exclusion based on gender are ended and where all ministries and offices are open to all the baptised, according to their spiritual gifts and vocations, not their biological make up. We believe this vision of church is faithful to the vision of Jesus for his disciples and a core element of his Good News for the world.

Soline Humbert