The Church’s largest ever study of Catholic women has found they are hungry for reform.
Women resent their lack of decision-making power and want to follow their consciences on sex and contraception.
They think the Church should be more inclusive of the diverse and the divorced.
Women also want to be allowed to preach, they dislike priests promoting political agendas and are concerned about a lack of transparency in Church governance.
Australian researchers led the global study – the largest in the Church’s over 2000-year history. Their findings were presented at the Vatican on Wednesday – International Women’s Day.
“There was this underlying sense of hurt, and certainly this feeling of being voiceless and ignored,” one of the co-authors (both pictured) said.
“These are not women on the edge. These are women in the Church. Being Catholic is important to them, and they are struggling.”
The survey report’s other co-author says women’s enthusiasm for the survey showed “they’re really sick of it.
“They want to be there, but they’re sick of not being able to contribute. In their secular lives, they can do so much more.”
The study surveyed 17,200 women from 140 countries.
It is a timely piece of work, as Pope Francis leads the Church in a discussion about whether women should have a greater role in its governance and ceremonies.
Francis has ruled out the possibility of female priests. However, the deaconate (a deacon is someone who assists priests during mass and can preach the homily) is a possibility.
The female ambassadors to the Holy See to whom McEwan presented the findings on Wednesday included Australia’s representative, Chiara Porro, who helped organise the presentation.
The first woman ever to be allowed to vote with the Vatican’s synod of bishops, Sister Nathalie Becquart, has also been briefed on the research.
Hungry for reform – the stats
- 84 per cent of women supported reform in the Church; two-thirds wanted radical reform.
- Almost three in 10 said there would be no place for them without radical reform.
- Almost eight in 10 agreed women should be fully included at all levels of Church leadership.
- Over three-quarters agreed women should be able to give the homily, a commentary on the Gospel during services.
- Two-thirds said women should be eligible for the priesthood.
- Over four in five said LGBTQ people should be included in all activities.
- Just over half strongly agreed same-sex couples were entitled to a religious marriage.
- Seven in 10 said remarriage should be allowed after civil divorce.
- Three-quarters agreed that women should have freedom of conscience about their sexual and reproductive decisions.
- There was significant concern about abuses of power and spiritual harm, particularly by male clerics.
What women say
“I cling on to the church by my fingernails.”
“I’m ashamed of my Church when I see only men in procession.”
“Women do much of the work in the Church, but get no recognition or say.”
“It’s still the largest religion in the world. It’s hugely important we understand it. The Church itself hasn’t been interested in studying its own population.”