The radicalism of these words becomes clear when we remember that some bishops serve parts of the world still mired in sexism. In the context of the church, the letter can be read as an indirect rebuke to those papal feminists who draw upon ambiguities in the Pope's writings to suggest that every mother who works while her children are young should be viewed with pity or suspicion.
Ratzinger falters, however, in addressing the letter's third major theme, the role of women in the church. On the one hand, he wants to reaffirm the teaching that women cannot be priests; on the other, he wants to show that this doesn't mean the Catholic Church is sexist. In a nutshell, he defends the position that the priesthood is restricted to men not because women are inferior, but because priests are symbols of Jesus Christ. Christ, in turn, is not a male because of a random draw of X and Y chromosomes or because males are superior, but because of his place in an intricate web of biblical symbolism. Particularly important to Ratzinger is the imagery of Christ as the bridegroom and the church as his bride found in the writings of St. Paul, echoing Old Testament images of the spousal relationship between God and Israel.
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How, then, are feminine values incorporated into the church? According to Ratzinger, through Jesus's mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary. She is "the fundamental reference in the Church," from whom Catholics learn the meaning of "intimacy with Christ" and "the power of love."
The issue of female priests has divided Catholics for nearly a quarter of a century. In an apostolic letter issued in 1994, Pope John Paul II closed the door to women's ordination, and soon afterward Ratzinger commanded Catholic theologians to stop discussing the issue. Yet many Catholics continue to believe that women cannot attain equality in the Church until the priesthood is open to them. The sexual abuse crisis has further confirmed some people's belief that the structure of the priesthood needs a fundamental overhaul. Is there a way beyond this impasse?
To be honest, I'm not sure. But I do have one suggestion: If Ratzinger is serious about his stated desire for "dialogue with all men and women of good will," he might start by taking his own advice. He notes that women often have "a sense and a respect for what is concrete," as opposed to "abstractions which are so often fatal for the existence of individuals and society." Unfortunately, his invocation of the Blessed Virgin Mary to demonstrate the church's inclusion of women risks becoming just such a potentially fatal abstraction. Catholic women know from bitter experience that devotion to Mary, the ideal woman, doesn't prevent some priests from treating ordinary women with disdain. We simply have to begin talking concretely about increasing opportunities in the church for men and women to work together in mutual respect.
Otherwise, as the general reception of this letter demonstrates, the church's statements about the equal dignity of the sexes are likely to be dismissed as pious talk.
Author's e-mail:
M.Cathleen.Kaveny.1@nd.edu
M. Cathleen Kaveny is the John P. Murphy Foundation professor of law and professor of theology at the University of Notre Dame and a member of the steering committee of the Catholic Common Ground Initiative.
