Another no of Pope Francis to change the role of women in the Church

Reflections by Ada Seguino*

Timally some of us, women engaged in LGBTQ+activism, self -determined to give their sign and contribution were getting closer to a journey of faith, in part because they saw in Pope Francis a promoter of a real change of the Church, revolutionizing the way of being and being part of it today.

And then all this changes with one Declaration (editor's note by Pope Francis) A CBS News, reiterating a no to the female diaconate. A dry no that cuts any possibility of debate on the timid passages of recognition of the value of women in the Church, denying the possibility of the affirmation of a symbolic value, not today, in the years to come.

All this even before allowing in October, on the occasion of the second synodal meeting, to collect other considerations and relationships on the subject, the result of the painstaking work of many groups in Italy, in Europe and in the world.

The journalist Norah or 'Donnel of CBS News, during one interview Of about 50 minutes, he asked a simple question: "A Catholic girl today will ever hope to become a diachono when they grow up?". Pope Francis' response was: "If they are deacons with the sacred order, no", and then in Spanish he added. "Women have always had, I would say, the function of diagonesse without being deacons, right? Women are of great service as women, not as ministers within the sacred order". It was preferable to give a vague response, advisable, rather than a dry no.

30 years have passed since the no in the apostolic letter Ordinatio priestatalis of 22 May 5 1994, of John Paul II, and alas the latest statements of Pope Francis brought us back to thirty years ago. And all that is taking place seems to have no value anymore. The establishment of two commissions was favored to carefully analyze the female diaconate and then two simple letters are enough to invalidate everything.

The Women's Ordination Conference, in response to the words of Pope Francis, said that they are "a betrayal of the synodal project that plans to walk together", adding that "a call for a more just inclusion of women in all aspects of the life of the Church has been listened to in all continents".

The same theologian Andrea Grillo said "the evaluation of the woman's access to the diaconate cannot depend on the prejudice that" knows "that the woman is not made to have public authority. The male reserve has no doctrinal foundation, even for Catholics."

I wonder if Pope Francis has the awareness that some of his statements can continuously perpetrate the concept of a marginal role of women in every position: catechesis within the parish, ecclesial groups, in Lgbiqi+ Christian groups and finally in society.

I don't even know if Pope Francis has the awareness of having presbyters, even the apparently illuminated ones, who following his statements will continue to perpetrate exclusion and/or marginalization actions, because in some cases the decision -making presence of women, even those that vigorously make their point of view feel, if too intrusive, for the ways and forms, is dissonant, it is annoying and is usually marginalized.

There has never been a hint of request for forgiveness from the Church and their representatives to the most marginalized component, and the most numerous, women, since the mists of time, persecuted and massacred when not responding to the dictates of conformity to the dominant, patriarchal and male chauvinist system: docile woman, mother, sister, friend ... etc. etc.

All of us, women committed, intellectuals, activists, lesbians, self -determined, that we started looking at the latter pontificate with a new gaze we would have expected a real change, no occasional hints of change.

And then I tell you do not surprise yourself if you find in groups, Catholic Christians LGBTQ+ in the first place, very few women and not attributed to us the fault of not being there. And when we are promoters of the female found in all its forms of struggle and emotion we strangely annoyance and we are marginalized.

I wonder, as a woman, feminist, lesbian, Christian, if one day there will be some of the high spheres of the Church, I would have expected it by Pope Francis, able to take charge of asking for forgiveness to all the women of every era until today, who have had to suffer any form of violence, silenced them and marginalizing them for centuries, while constituting the majority and the most healthy and promoter of rebirth, novelty in history. of humanity.

*Ada Seguino is a Christian, lesbian and feminist.