Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich: "Women should vote at the synod and become Cardinals"
This article has been translated to english.
Jean-Claude Hollerich: "Women should vote at the synod and become cardinals"
October 24, 2019
ROME. The twenty women religious who participated in the synod on the Amazon that is about to conclude in the Vatican, will not be able to vote on Saturday in the final document that will be given to the Pope, which was also prepared with their contributions in three weeks of work.
Many Synod Fathers do not understand why and among them is Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich, Archbishop of Luxembourg. In an interview with LA NACION , this 61-year-old Jesuit who lived in Japan for more than two decades and speaks five languages, not only showed himself in favor of religious women participating in the assembly having the right to vote - as is the case with religious - but went further: he said that if there were women-deacons (claims that sounded strong in these weeks), there should also be women-cardinals .
"I think that when you choose the pope, women should also be involved," he said. "If women do not feel they are welcome in the Church, in the broad sense of welcome, then they will abandon it," he warned.
Created a Cardinal by Pope Francis on October 5, Hollerich, president of the Commission of Episcopal Conferences of the countries of the European Union , highlighted the freedom of expression that was in the synod and the vitality demonstrated by the Latin American bishops, majority in the assembly. Before a question about the financial scandal that shakes the Vatican at this time, the Cardinal did not hesitate to ensure that "if the Church has no transparency, we are lost."
Q1. What struck you most about the synod?
The freedom with which people could talk. It is a blessing that everyone could express themselves without fear, and not see the Pope as an authority figure, intimidating, but as a friend, a brother. And this absolute freedom in this process of synodality seemed wonderful to me. At the same time, it helped me to better understand how the Pope sees the Church, with this vision of a polyhedron, from the periphery and I think that surely the Church in Europe needs an input from outside, which I saw in the synod. I learned a lot.
Q2. Do you consider that the Latin American Church is revitalizing the rest of the Church?
It seems to me that if in Europe we listen, we can get to have that synodality.
Q3. There was talk of the Amazon: what surprised him the most?
The violence suffered by indigenous people. There is violence towards nature, the jungle and at the same time there is violence towards ethnic groups, violence towards people. There are many martyrs for justice in their countries, but they don't lose hope. They are people who fight, and for me they are very admirable. And I liked to see how the bishops of the Amazon are close to their people, feel the pulse of their people and that the concerns of their people are their same concerns.
Q4. So it seems to you that the Church is already a synodal in the Amazon, in Latin America?
Yes, much more than in Europe.
Q5. In the synod there was a kind of confrontation curia vs. rest of the world, as some participants told me?
Yes, there is clearly a difference in mentality and vision.
Q6. The religious women who participate in the synod have complained that they cannot vote at the end of the process, something they consider totally unfair. Do you think they should be able to vote?
Totally. I do not understand why women cannot vote, especially if they are religious, since religious brothers have the right to vote. The presence of women is very important. There are many more women than in the previous synod on young people and these women speak very frankly, speak a lot and speak very well. The men listen to them. I realized that when we had the summit on sexual abuse, last February, what women said was also extremely important. We have to listen to women. For me it is normal, but for some it is something new. And if women do not feel they are welcome in the Church, in the broad sense of welcome, then they will leave the Church.
Q7. Do you think that in the next synod you can change the procedure and women will get the vote?
I hope so. I am totally in favor and I already said it in the last synod. I even said that I think it would be good if there were some women-cardinals if there were women-deacon. Because I think that when one chooses the pope, women should also be involved.
Q8. In the synod many bishops asked for an official role for the women of the Amazon, including the diaconate: is it the curia that opposes?
I think so. But I believe that the Holy Spirit in the synod is working to tell us that women should contribute more to the Church. In my diocese I have several top women in leadership roles: they are special delegates of social pastoral, of new spiritualities, for religious life, etc. They are top women. I mean they have a deeper spirituality than many priests.
Q9. For you what would be the indicators of the success of this synod?
It seems to me that if in the final document there will be something about the ordination of mature married men (viri probati), if there is something about new ministries for women, that is, new real paths, this will mean that those who opposed could not stop it and that is going to be very good.
Q10. For you what is at the root of this opposition to a new synodal church?
Fear. Fear of having to change, starting with oneself.
Q11. There are those who say that, since the Pope has been attacked by the mere fact of opening the debate on the ordination of mature married men (viri probati), he may be reluctant to take the necessary steps to implement this change.
I don't know, because the Pope is going to be attacked in any way, whatever he does. There is a lot of money against him, I am not a close friend of his, but I think he is a man who, in prayer, will do what he thinks is fair.
Q12. In the final document how strong will be the emphasis on the ecological issue?
It should be very strong, at least I hope so because people expect this and even outside the Catholic Church there are expectations in this regard. If our planet is destroyed we can shout all we want about married priests or women-priests, but the issue is that there will be no need for priests! So it is the most important problem and it is an urgent problem.
Q13. It was spoken in the synod of the financial scandal that recently shook the Vatican, with millions of euros of the Obolo de San Pedro that did not go to the poor, but to dark real estate investments abroad?
I think that people who act in this way have to be thrown out immediately. It shows how people react to priests: if the priest has a girlfriend, he may not like it, but he is not scandalized, but if the priest is left with money from the Church, people are very scandalized. If the Church has no transparency, we are lost.
