Pope Benedict acclaims role of women in Church history

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Special message of Pope Benedict XVI in English to the peoples of Israel, Jordan and the Palestinian Territories, at the end of the General Audience. May 6th, 2009
Message of the Holy Father Benedict XVI to the Young People of the World on the Occasion of the XXIII World Youth Day, 2008
Where education is concerned, we are truly a Church that can serve all people at all times
Interview of the Holy Father Benedict XVI during the flight to the Holy Land

Vatican City, Feb 14, 2007 / 11:13 am (CNA).- The role of women in the history of the Church was the theme chosen by Benedict XVI for his catechesis at today's general audience, which was held in the Paul VI Hall in the presence of 20,000 people. The Holy Father reflected on the thankfulness the Church should have for the countless “manifestations of the feminine ‘genius.’”

"Jesus chose 12 men as fathers of the new Israel, 'to be with Him and to be sent out to proclaim the message,'" said the Holy Father, "but ... among the disciples many women were also chosen. They played an active role within the context of Jesus mission.”

In the first place, the Pope began, “the Virgin Mary, who with her faith and her maternal care worked in a unique way for our redemption. Having become a disciple of her Son, ... she followed Him even to the foot of the cross where she received a maternal mission for all his disciples in all times."

After mentioning other women who appear in various parts of the Gospel - such as Susanna, and Lazarus' sisters Martha and Mary - the Pope pointed out that "the women, unlike the Twelve, did not abandon Jesus at the hour of His Passion. Outstanding among them was Mary Magdalene ... who was the first witness of the Resurrection and announced it to the others." Pope Benedict also recalled how St. Thomas Aquinas referred to Mary Magdalene as "the apostle of the apostles."

In the first Christian communities, Benedict XVI went on, "the female presence was anything but secondary." St. Paul "starts from the fundamental principle according to which among the baptized 'there is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female.'" Furthermore, "the Apostle admits that in the Christian community it is quite normal that there should be women who prophesy, in other words who pronounce openly under the influence of Holy Spirit for the edification of the community."

Therefore St. Paul's subsequent assertion that "women should be silent in the churches" must "be relativized," said the Pope, and he explained that "the problem ... of the relationship between these two apparently contradictory indications should be left to the exegetes."

"The history of Christianity would have developed quite differently without the generous contribution of many women," said the Pope and he recalled how John Paul II had written: "The Church gives thanks for each and every woman ... for all the manifestations of the feminine 'genius.'"

"We share this appreciation, giving thanks to the Lord because He leads His Church, generation after generation, indiscriminately using men and women who know how to bring their faith to fruition ... for the good of the entire body of the Church.”

Comments: 10

Subscriber comments:

Published by: B. Sutton
UK 07/17/2010 02:37 PM EST

The arguments against women priests is that Jesus chose only men as his disciples,even if this were true he also only chose Jews. Where does that leave our non jewish priests

Published by: Jerry Johnson
Savannah/GA/USA 04/19/2010 11:53 PM EST

I am vehemently against the ordination of women as priests in the Catholic Church. I am currently a devout Catholic but will actually leave the Church if that happens. It's PLAINLY WRONG.

Published by: John Healy
Washington/DC/USA 02/23/2007 04:09 PM EST

Geraldine,

You reject women priests because of a metaphor about the Church has a sexual orientation (Church = Bride of Christ). It's a metaphor. It is not a faith doctrine. It is not a teaching of Jesus. It's a metaphor that implies that Jesus has a close personal relationship with the Church. To use a metaphor as a rationale for rejecting women priests is not rational.

Published by: Yvon Thivierge
Ottawa ON Canada 02/21/2007 12:39 PM EST

The Pope hails the inequality, inferiority and subserviancy of women in his male Roman Church.
He also stressed thheir intrinsic inadequacy for the priesthood and their particular sinfulness as temptresses of men, especially of clerics who have taken a wow of chastity.

Published by: Pat
United States 02/20/2007 12:01 PM EST

I support the pope but do disagree with his comments concerning women's roles in the church. Jesus worked within the limitations of the highly patriarchal culture of his time and thus had to choose men. But he chose women also! Jesus did not create the priesthood. We, his church did. And the patriarchal church of that time continued the tradition of selecting men. Our church today is modeled upon the Roman culture which also was a patriarchal system. Again, Jesus did not impose the Roman culture, we did! True, it helped spread the bounds of Christianity, but it also helped spread the patriarchal system. It has take us 2000 year to realize that women are not second-class citizens, but sadly, many parts of our world still hold this view! I believe that many of the Catholic faith throughout the world believe this. I have been strongly tempted to leave the Catholic Church but have decided to remain. Only from within can we further the teachings of Jesus and the equality that Jesus showed to all men and women!

Published by: Geraldine
Wickenburg, AZ, USA 02/15/2007 03:22 PM EST

I disagree with Helen of Scotland. The Church is the Bride of Christ, thus the reason only men can be priests. They represent Jesus Christ here on earth. A woman cannot be a bride of a bride unless, of course, she is gay. Our church would not be able to survive without us women. We play an enormously important role,and I, for one, am proud to serve my church in any way I can, which I have been doing for decades. Gerry

Published by: Matt
New York 02/14/2007 11:43 PM EST

The Holy Father has been a wonderful leader for the Church. He has done an outstanding job. This speech was much needed and Pope Benedict put it perfectly. Both men and women are important for the faith in spreading and converting for salvation. There are many women who are among the great saints and the Blessed Virgin Mary who is the greatest.

This is why it is sad to see many today complain that women are not priests. Priests are "Christ in persona" and are to be leaders, which is why men were chosen by Christ. Women have an equally important role of nurturing the young as a mother or to become a sister and foster the knowledge of the faith in people. This is the order of nature and morality, men and women are equal, but different and have roles that each has based on their positive strengths.

Published by: George Angel
Canada 02/14/2007 06:31 PM EST

The Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, Queen of Heaven, Queen of all the Angels and Saints is the Immaculate Conception born without sin or stain of sin. There is no greater role than this for anyone in human history. We just celebrated the Apparition of Our Lady Lourdes on February 11, 2007, where the Virgin Mary proclaimed to St. Bernadette: "I am the Immaculate Conception." When God wants to guide or warn mankind God always sends our Heavenly Mother whose tender love for her children has no bound. Our Lady of Guadelope made her self known to the new world, and of course Our Lady of Fatima appeared to three shepherd children in Fatima, Portugal to ask us to pray and convert or face the consequences. On October 13, 1917, 75,000 people witnessed the Miracle of Sun to show them beyond a shadow of a doubt that Mother Mary truly appeared to those children in Fatima. Even Pope John Paul II who was devoted to Our Lady of Fatima credited her with saving his life after an assasin's bullett struck him on May 13, 1981, the Feast Day of Our Lady of Fatima. Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta, though small in stature was one of the truly great giants of the 20th Centuary serving the poorest of the poor in Calcutta, India, and affectionately dubbed as the "Saint of the Gutters." Close to two million mostly Hindu's and Sikhs lined the streets of Calcutta to pay their respects for the funeral procession of Blessed Mother Teresa, a Roman Catholic Nun. That's true greatness!

Published by: Thomas Aquinas
Mt.Ephraim,NJ.,USA 02/14/2007 03:07 PM EST

i think that what the Holy Father stated in his message about women in the Church should be widely mention thru out the Church. To many people,and sadly some are Catholic, think of the Church as an "old boys club".

Published by: Helen
Scotland 02/14/2007 12:55 PM EST

It's all very well trying to patronise women with platitudes, but let's remember that there are thousands of women leaving the church because they cannot stand the way they are treated. I have been campaigning actively for over 20 years and long to see the ordination of women in the RC Church...I will remain a practising Catholic but many friends have left.

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