Pope Francis' woman problem (LA Times Op-Ed)

[cbayer]

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-winston-francis-women-gays-20130804,0,7004271.story

His recent comments and ministrations fall short when it comes to Roman Catholic women.


Pope Francis, during a news conference on his flight back to Rome from Rio de Janeiro, closed the door to female priests. (Luca Zennaro / EPA / August 2, 2013)

By Diane Winston
August 4, 2013

Last week, Pope Francis loosed a media tsunami by dropping a pebble of sanity into an ocean of religious angst. "If someone is gay and he searches for the Lord and has goodwill, who am I to judge?" he told reporters on the flight back to Rome after his trip to Brazil.

What did it mean? Was he changing church teaching? And how might it affect 1.2 billion Roman Catholics worldwide?

Hundreds of news stories and thousands of blogs, tweets and commentaries later, most observers heard in Francis' statement a proposal to end to his predecessor's hard line on homosexuality. Pope Benedict XVI had barred men with "deep-seated homosexual" tendencies from seminaries, calling homosexuality an "objective disorder." But Francis said gays who sought to live faithfully — that is, celibate — were not to be judged or excluded from the church.

By looking to the individual's heart instead of his genitals, Francis demonstrated a commitment to those who are neglected, marginalized and disenfranchised, as he repeatedly has done during his four-month papal tenure. Yet there is one group more numerous than LGBTs in the church and significantly more neglected, disenfranchised and marginalized — for whom his ministrations fall short.

Who, you ask? Roman Catholic women.

more at link

[MotherPetrie]

1. Good article. However, Catholic women don't die if they can't be ordained priests. They can and do

die when the church they are members of forbids them to have life-saving abortions, or actually forces them to have caesareans to try to save the life of a fetus regardless of the operation's effect on their own survival (as has happened in Catholic-run hospitals). And this pope is just as A-OK with that policy as the previous ones. That's what he really thinks about women -- that their lives are not of primary worth.

[cbayer]

4. Agree and the article addresses that.

I do think, though, that the issues regarding girls/women worldwide would probably receive more attention if there were women in true positions of leadership within the RCC.

[Bluenorthwest]

2. Winston is a dishonest heterosexualist who needs to understand that her Fankie

said nothing new nor nothing good about gay people. Not buying what she's selling. What he does say is that gay couples are 'an attack on God'. Does Winston mention that? Of course not.

[rug]

3. This Diane Winston?

http://annenberg.usc.edu/Faculty/Communication%20and%20Journalism/WinstonD.aspx

[cbayer]

5. What in the world is a heterosexualist?

It seems to me she is just making the case that there is an even larger marginalized group in the church and that he very intentionally slammed the door on them. I don't see any endorsement from her of the church's stance on GLBT issues.

[darkangel218]

6. Can popes have wives?

[cbayer]

7. Er, no. Why?

[darkangel218]

8. Just wondering.

They should though. Greek orthodox priests are allowed to marry.

And women should be allowed to be popes too. IMOHO.

[muriel_volestrangler]

9. Their priests can, but not their bishops

Orthodox Priests and Deacons are divided into two distinct groups - the married (white or parochial) clergy and the monastic (or black) clergy. The monastic clergy are by nature unmarried, but one seeking ordination to the ranks of the white clergy may now choose to be celibate (unmarried) or married, but must make the choice prior to ordination since, under Orthodox Canon Law, one may not marry after ordination. A celibate Priest or Deacon may not later marry and a married Priest or Deacon whose wife dies may not remarry. Also, one who has been divorced may not be permitted to be ordained. Bishops are drawn exclusively from the ranks of the monastic clergy, although a celibate or widower may be consecrated Bishop after having taken monastic vows. In ancient times married men were permitted to become Bishops (such was the case of St. Peter himself), but such has not been the case since at least the 6th Century.

http://www.orthodoxworld.ru/en/tainstva/6/index.htm

[darkangel218]

10. Well, they should refotm that.

Would reduce the number of sex abuse cases.