Women wielding clout at Vatican

[emad]

Women wielding clout at Vatican

Led by men, church finding places for females to flourish
April 14, 2005

BY PATRICIA MONTEMURRI
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER



VATICAN CITY -- In a world dominated by men, some smart, powerful Catholic women are making inroads.

"If you knock the issue of ordination off the table, women have advanced significantly," even at the Vatican, Sister Mary Ann Walsh, spokeswoman for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, said in Rome this week.

The Vatican employee who established the Web site where Pope John Paul II's teachings are posted in six languages is a U.S. Franciscan nun, Sister Judith Loebelein, nicknamed Sister Web.

One of the first female church lawyers to work at the Vatican is Sister Sharon Holland, a Michigan-born member of the Monroe-based Immaculate Heart of Mary nuns.

http://www.freep.com/news/religion/pope14e_20050414.htm

[MrPrax]

1. Well Maybe I Was Wrong...

Well Today's Church is changing, but I dunno if I am comfortable with this...a webmaster AND a Lawyer?

[Eloriel]

9. What is it you're not comfortable with?

Are you against women having wider roles EVERYwhere/anywhere in the world?

[MrPrax]

20. Being Facetious...

Jeez that is the ONLY thing this Institution can up with to utilize half the world's population...

I probably should have put <sarcasm> quote's at the end for those that didn't get the 'Today's Church' subtley

[daleo]

2. Yeah, right.

Here's a mop and pail, Sister. Now go flourish the Vatican.

That's the truth of it, as far as I can see.

[JerseygirlCT]

3. "If you knock ordination off the table..."

why bother with the rest?

[daleo]

7. I read a column that said (more or less)

Pope John Paul was actually very progressive toward women, because he promoted the Virgin Mary to Queen of Heaven. How can you debate reasoning like that?

[JerseygirlCT]

8. You can't, sigh.

Which is why I'm now an Episcopalian...

Hearts and flowers and lovely language about how valued women are means squat if it isn't followed with true equality. Excuses about "we can't, it's not biblical" are nonsense, of course. The boys wrote that stuff down and it doesn't reflect necessarily, the women's roles at the time at all.

[Eloriel]

10. Ah, the old pedestal with the chain gambit

trying to convince women -- and this time by proxy, no less -- that they're valuable by TELLING them that they are, all the while keeping them in chains.

[dflprincess]

12. My grandmother

was a very devout Catholic, rarely questioned anything about the church (unless one of her loved ones ran afoul of the rules. Like when my cousin divorced her abusive husband, granny had no trouble slipping her some money and deciding the church was wrong about divorce). However, she had never been heard to critize a Pope.

A few years before she died she nearly caused those of us gathered around her kitchen table (my mom, an aunt, a couple cousins, and myself) to drop dead when she announced "I don't think this pope likes women very much." Maybe my cousin's problems had caused her to rethink a lot of things, but that's when I knew his attitude was really bad, if even Grandma noticed it and commented on it.

My mom and I were kind of hoping the Virgin Mary set him straight on few things when he met her.

[Demeter]

4. I'm Sure They Meant DUST Clouts!

because other than doing the scut work, women do nothing of import in the Vatican.

[u4ic]

5. Tokens

One that represents a group, as an employee whose presence is used to deflect from the employer criticism or accusations of discrimination.

[goclark]

13. You nailed it exactly

When I watched the Services, woman in control of anything were merely
five grains of sands on a beach in Hawaii.

As far as I could tell, minorities were also about five grains of sand on that same beach.

What a statement it would make for them to select an African Pope.
There were three looooong ago.

[redqueen]

18. If I'm not mistaken that pope is in with Opus Dei.

I'd rather he not be picked for that reason.

[AnneD]

6. Gee

thanks. Condidering Mary had the closest, longest, and most powerful relationship with Christ, you might think they would want women to have a voice.

[Eloriel]

11. There are two huge reasons they can't allow women

1. They are terrified of women's spiritual power
2. No one must ever speak the word "priestess" or see one in person because it reminds the Church and all its members of the horrible misogynistic sins of The Burning Times.

[emad]

16. The name of Isis still sends shivers down the spines of those

devildogers in the Vatican.

Isis, Mother of Creation.

Makes patriarchy look like a form of male neurosis.

[redqueen]

19. look like?

:)

[emad]

22. Howabout:

[redqueen]

23. I was going for "Patriarchy is a form of male neurosis".

As opposed to just 'look like'.

[Voltaire99]

14. You've come a long way, baby

You know, when you knock the issue of ordination off the table...along with all the pesky issues of biological self-determination...OK, and also any hope of setting policy...right, and any chance of becoming the Infallible Enchilada himself...then women are tearing up shit like crazy at the Vatican!

Now, if you're a virgin and can give birth, call us. Because, seriously, the sky's the fucking limit for you in this man's church, babe.

[emad]

15. "Ne'er raise a clout til May is out..." - old English proverb...

[realFedUp]

17. nunsuch.....nt

[Orsino]

21. When the cat's away...

Surely the next pope will put a stop to any real power exercised by women???