We live in a world where, sadly, abusive behaviour is rife.
Whether it be physical, sexual, emotional, psychological, or any other form of abuse, it needs to be called out at every level.
It is usually perpetrated by men against women, precisely because they can.
Physical strength, the male combative nature and patriarchal cultures all play a role in this male-dominated scourge, but none of these factors can be used as an excuse.
The most obvious examples of abusive behaviour are usually seen at the individual level – a man berating his wife in the supermarket, a woman being talked over in a group discussion, a male boss speaking to a female employee in a patronizing way.
The curse of structural abuse
But the most insidious form of abuse is structural abuse, where the abusive behaviour is camouflaged within the rules and guidelines of the institution. It is more subtle than some other types of abuse, but it’s just as real.
The Catholic Church’s exclusion of women from ordained ministry is a form of structural abuse.
The same elements that characterize individual abusive behaviour are present in the way the hierarchy relate to women – patronizing language, efforts to disempower, silencing of voices, refusal to engage.
Currently in Australia we are engaged in a Plenary Council process. Well over 200,000 participants contributed to the preliminary stage when submissions were called for.
The 300-page summary of those submissions clearly shows a strong call for greater and more meaningful participation of women in the Church, including ordained ministry.
And yet the Australian bishops refused to allow any reference to women’s issues to see the light of day in the final agenda.
They silenced women’s voices, because they could. They spoke over the top of them, because they could. They disempowered them, because they could. They refused to engage with them, because they could.
Pope Francis and his blind spot
Even Pope Francis, despite his warm and pastoral nature, clearly struggles in trying to understand and relate to women, particularly with regard to his language. His “strawberry on the cake” comments are embarrassing.
When Donald and Melania Trump visited him at the Vatican in 2017, after speaking to President Trump, Francis then turned and spoke to Melania, asking her what she cooked for her husband.
It’s tempting to say, “But the pope is an elderly man and a product of his culture and era.”
I’m tempted to do that myself. I’m one of his greatest fans.
But we can’t do that. Any form of abuse, no matter how benign it may appear, contributes to the broader abusive behaviour against women that we see around the world, particularly in religious cultures.
Women reduced to servitude
In his prayer intention for the month of February, Francis invites women “to fight when, in some cases, they are treated unfairly, even within the Church”. He then notes that they have been “reduced to servitude – sometimes by men of the Church”.
The clear implication is that these women have endured abusive behaviour by members of the clergy in the way they have been treated.
The pope’s words, on this particular occasion, are addressed to religious sisters and consecrated women, but they can also be applied in a broader sense.
Many Catholic women feel they have been “treated unfairly” and “reduced to servitude” in the way they have tirelessly worked for the good of the Church but have been excluded from leadership roles and have been reprimanded for even raising the issue.
Pope Francis’ exhortation to women who have been treated unfairly to “fight” for justice is admirable. But there is no point fighting if the “men of the Church” who have exploited them won’t even listen to them.
Bishops never advocate for women
Why is it that, by and large, bishops have no empathy with Catholic women and their struggle to be recognized in the Church and be treated fairly?
Why do they never advocate on their behalf?
Why don’t they say something as simple as, “We understand how you feel?”
It never happens. The bishops’ response is always dismissive if there is a response at all.
At least part of the reason for that is the fact that most clergy spend little time conversing with women in any depth. Their world is a very male world.
Their colleagues in ministry are all male, and in many cases, their close friends are also male.
They don’t understand the hurt experienced by women who feel betrayed by the hierarchy. They never feel their pain.
Added to that, the clergy have little or no experience of being marginalized. They don’t know what it’s like to have their voice silenced.
Bishops, in particular, have never felt the distress of being excluded, of being ignored, of being disempowered.
Then there is the broader patriarchal culture that pervades the Church hierarchy. It produces a club mentality among the clergy that is exclusive and elitist.
In the context of structural abuse in the Church, it’s a perfect storm.
Is there hope?
Things need to change, but it won’t happen unless there’s a change in the attitude of the clergy towards women.
The hierarchy, in particular, need to take women more seriously. They need to listen respectfully to their voices and accept them as equals.
But despite everything, I remain optimistic.
Recently the Vatican agreed to add a link from the “Women’s Ordination Conference” to their Synod on Synodality website. It was a break-through moment for all concerned.
Let’s hope it’s a first step on a longer journey.
- John Crothers was ordained presbyter in 1985 for the Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney (Australia). Author of The Clergy Club (ATF Press, 2018), he also posts songs on his “John Crothers Singer-Songwriter” YouTube channel, calling for a more inclusive Church.
- First published in La-Croix International. Republished with permission.
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