Theological Notebook: CNS articles on Gutierrez and on Female Leadership at the Vatican

[novak]

Here's a few stories that show some interesting sides to Benedict XVI's Vatican. The first, about Fr. Gustavo Gutierrez, the founder of the movement called "liberation theology," who I studied at Notre Dame, and who I've even had the opportunity to hear for myself, after he joined Notre Dame's faculty. He came to South Bend at the advice of then-

Comments

[friede]

Six months ago Pope Benedict said that, leaving aside the ordained priesthood, women need to "make their own space" in the church and that the hierarchy shouldn't stand in their way.

That still seems to me to be a nearly-impossible double-bind -- there's a limit to how much space one can "create" without authority, even if it were possible for hierarchy to somehow "get out of the way".

The pope expressed satisfaction that women today were "very present in the departments of the Holy See." But he noted one problem: The power to make legally binding decisions in the Roman Curia is linked to holy orders.

Yep -- I note that the article swerves away from that interview with the Holy Father, so I used the power of Google to find the complete statement...

Question: Holy Father, women are very active in many different areas of the Catholic Church. Shouldn't their contribution become more clearly visible, even in positions of higher responsibility in the Church?

Pope Benedict XVI: We reflect a lot about this subject, of course. As you

[novak]

I hear you. I find myself having to object with any approach to orders that sees it in terms of, or reduces it to, simply human power - that's a considerable part of why I'm not a priest: because I'd rather be a bishop - and yet the obvious fact is that power is a part of how authority functions within the Church. You're probably right in saying that the "superiority" language doesn't help at all: that it comes across as too much of throwing an entirely too-inadequate bone to a disenfranchised group. And yet, as I had to say to someone the other day in simple terms of laity instead of women, the narrative that sees either group as simply disenfranchised and utterly powerless and ineffectual or peripheral in the history of the Church is, I think, a very distorted (and obviously self-serving, in terms of its own political agendas) and inaccurate vision of history. Mostly, I was just interesting in this story simply for its overt discussion of the issue at the Vatican level. Thanks for doing some further legwork and reflection on it

[friede]

The close reader in me reads that as closure, but the small part of me that is plainspoken wishes to have it confirmed.

[cerulianphoenix]

Thank you for sharing these articles, it was an interesting read made all the moreso since they were together.

I have to admit that I'm largely ignorant of liberation theology and the organisation of the Roman Curia. With that in mind, do be kind if my questions seem of lowly origin.

From what I do understand of liberation theology it doesn't seem to emphasise the salvific redemption of our Lord, which is obviously a problem. Does that seem a fair, if very short, hearing of Pope John Paul II's problems with it? If Father Gutierrez has moved away from some of the more undesirable aspects of liberation theology, and it seems he has, then there shouldn't be any problem.

Personally I don't really see any problem with women taking higher positions in the Vatican. I am wondering why legally binding decisions are linked to Holy Orders though, would you happen to know?

[novak]

With regard to organizational stuff, you'd do no better than the book Inside The Vatican by Thomas Reese, S.J.: his background in politics makes him very astute in examining the interaction of the various structures of the Holy See.

As regards Liberation Theology, since it was particularly concerned with its own historical situation, it doesn't so explicitly address the core, creedal salvific issues regarding Christ. Rather, it takes them largely for granted. I suspect it's always an easy rhetorical red herring in an argument to simply point away from whatever is being argued to question the (alarming) absence of something else. While sometime absences are critical, more often they're simply not the issue being discussed, and I suspect that there was a whole lot of "red herring" arguing going on with that material.

[novak]

Oh, and no, I'm not sure while legally-binding decisions are tied to Holy Orders: a reasonable inertia, I suppose. Most of the history of the Church would never have had any reason to be structured in any other way.

[cerulianphoenix]

Thanks for the information. When you first mentioned Inside the Vatican I thought you meant this book. It was an odd request with that in mind since I've already gone through it and it wasn't particularly helpful concerning Church organisation.

As for liberation theology, I was just reminded of something else that I seem to recall John Paul II being bothered by it: that it was more a political movement. Anyway, I do think that neglecting to mention the salvific actions of Christ is problematic, especially in today's Church.