The Synod Document for the Next Stage

Kate McElwee strikes exactly the right note in her letter to WOC members on Thursday: “We have reached a touchstone moment on the synodal path, and thanks to your efforts, women’s ordination is still a major part of the conversation,” except I would emphasize “thanks to your efforts.”

So many people who support women’s ordination showed up to Synod sessions around the world that they could not be ignored. “Enlarge the space of your tent,” the working document for the continental stage of the Synod, says:

64. Almost all reports raise the issue of full and equal participation of women: “The growing recognition of the importance of women in the life of the Church opens up possibilities for greater, albeit limited, participation in Church structures and decision-making spheres” (EC Brazil). However, the reports do not agree on a single or complete response to the question of the vocation, inclusion and flourishing of women in Church and society. After careful listening, many reports ask that the Church continue its discernment in relation to a range of specific questions: the active role of women in the governing structures of Church bodies, the possibility for women with adequate training to preach in parish settings, and female diaconate. Much greater diversity of opinion was expressed on the subject of priestly ordination for women, which some reports call for, while thers consider a closed tisuse.

This is probably less than the full, enthusiastic welcome you were hoping for, and after one cursory reading of the entire document, is the only mention I found of “a closed issue.” While there are many inspiring aspects of this document, I am going to write about the way it does not move far enough on issues important to me. I encourage you to read the whole thing to feel some hope for positive changes in many areas. Read what I write here to understand some of what must be pushed further.

“Listening to Those who Feel Neglected and Excluded” is one subtopic that makes specific mention of women’s aspirations. “38…The groups who feel a sense of exile are diverse, beginning with many women and young people who do not feel their gifts and abilities are recognized. Within these groups, that among themselves are highly heterogeneous, many feel denigrated, neglected, misunderstood. Longing for a home also characterizes those who, following the liturgical developments of the Second Vatican Council, do not feel at ease.” I am happy to be linked with the young, who in my mind are the greatest hope for the church, but I do not feel at ease being lumped in with the traditionalists who are generally opposed to the greater inclusion of women.

If you remember the USCCB summary, you might be surprised that the marginalization of LGBTQ people is not mentioned here. Yet the next paragraph begins: “39. Among those who ask for a more meaningful dialogue and a more welcoming space we also find those who, for various reasons, feel a tension between belonging to the Church and their own loving relationships, such as: remarried divorcees, single parents, people living in a polygamous marriage, LGBTQ people, etc.” I am glad for all that inclusion, which is followed by a quote from the USCCB report that I mostly endorse: “‘People ask that the Church be a refuge for the wounded and broken, not an institution for the perfect. They want the Church to meet people wherever they are, to walk with them rather than judge them.” I don’t endorse the idea that LGBTQ people are “broken”; wounded, perhaps, which is illustrated by another quotation: “‘There is a new phenomenon in the Church that is absolutely new in Lesotho: same-sex relationships. […] This novelty is disturbing for Catholics and for those who consider it a sin. Surprisingly, there are Catholics in Lesotho who have started practicing this behavior and expect the Church to accept them and their way of behaving. […] This is a problematic challenge for the Church because these people feel excluded’(EC Lesotho).” About this, the authors of this document only say “[the reports from national bishops’ conferences] also reveal uncertainties about how to respond and express the need for discernment on the part of the universal Church.” “Finding discernment” is really different from “a closed issue.” Only women’s ordination evokes from this sympathetic group of writers and theologians the need to refer to
“a closed issue.” Thanks, Paul VI, John Paul II, Benedict XVI, and so far, Francis. The miracle of its inclusion is thanks to you.

Paragraph 39 concludes by recognizing another marginalized group: “Those who left ordained ministry and married, too, ask for a more welcoming Church, with greater willingness to dialogue.” I’m glad to see that, and to read an even more expansive list that hits everything the mission of the church should be about: “40… Among the most frequently mentioned excluded groups are: the poorest, the lonely elderly, indigenous peoples, migrants without any affiliation and who lead a precarious existence, street children, alcoholics and drug addicts, those who have fallen into the plots of criminality and those for whom prostitution seems their only chance of survival, victims of trafficking, survivors of abuse (in the Church and beyond), prisoners, groups who suffer discrimination and violence because of race, ethnicity, gender, culture and sexuality. In the reports, all of them appear as people with faces and names, calling for solidarity, dialogue, accompaniment and welcome. [emphasis added]”

That’s what’s missing in this response to those of all genders now excluded from ordination. We are people with faces and names, stories and hopes. This is why we need to continue to participate individually in the process wherever and whenever we can. We have to engage in this dialogue for others to understand the reality of our vocations.

WOC’s Ministry of Irritation has made women, in all our complexity, impossible to ignore. Here are a few quotations of what this document says about “Rethinking Women’s Participation,” the subtopic which includes the quotation about women’s ordination above.

60. “A critical and urgent area in this regard concerns the role of women and their vocation, rooted in our common baptismal dignity, to participate fully in the life of the Church.”

61. “From all continents comes an appeal for Catholic women to be valued first and foremost as baptized and equal members of the People of God. There is almost unanimous affirmation that women love the Church deeply, but many feel sadness because their lives are often not well understood, and their contributions and charisms not always valued…women remain the majority of those who attend liturgy and participate in activities, men a minority; yet most decision-making and governance roles are held by men. It is clear that the Church must find ways to attract men to a more active membership in the Church and to enable women to participate more fully at all levels of Church life.”

62. “In every area of their lives, women ask the Church to be their ally. This includes addressing the social realities of impoverishment, violence and diminishment faced by women across the globe… Some reports note that the cultures of their countries have made progress in the inclusion and participation of women, progress that could serve as a model for the Church. ‘This lack of equality for women within the Church is seen as a stumbling block for the Church in the modern world” (EC New Zealand).’”

63. “The report from Superiors of Institutes of Consecrated Life notes: ‘Sexism in decision-making and Church language is prevalent in the Church… As a result, women are excluded from meaningful roles in the life of the Church, discriminated against by not receiving a fair wage for their ministries and services. Women religious are often regarded as cheap labor. There is a tendency – in some Churches – to exclude women and to entrust ecclesial functions to permanent deacons; and even to undervalue religious life without the habit, without regard for the fundamental equality and dignity of all baptized Christian faithful, women and men” (USG/UISG).”

65. “A key element of this process concerns the recognition of the ways in which women, especially women religious, are already at the forefront of synodal practices in some of the most challenging social situations we face…In these contexts, women seek collaborators and can be teachers of synodality within wider Church processes.”

You can see how many issues that you support are raised just in these quotations from a few pages of this document. You probably have some reservations about some of these ideas, as I do. Yet I like concluding with the recognition that women can teach synodality because many of us have done it in our ministries and organizations. We have witnessed to the truth of our lives in the life of the church and we are willing to continue to lead the way to a renewed church.