Do Women have Rights in the Church?
by Virginia Saldanha
Development of Women’s Rights
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was enumerated at a time in history when human beings came through two world wars in a space of less than 30 years; when the brutality of humans towards each other brought untold misery and suffering throughout the world. It was truly a landmark document for the progress of human civilization.
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights did not seem to adequately cover the discriminations and violence experienced by women. The need to articulate a more detailed declaration of women’s rights was strongly felt at the 1993 Vienna World Conference on Human Rights. The Declaration at the Conference stated that the "Human Rights of Women and of the Girl-child are an inalienable, integral and indivisible part of universal Human Rights," and declared a commitment to eliminate "Violence against Women in Public and Private Life."
Victims of violence gave personal testimony of their experience at the Vienna conference. Their stories highlighted the need for a clearly defined instrument to protect the rights of women. The Convention for the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) was thus born. It states “….the full and complete development of a country, the welfare of the world and the cause of peace require the maximum participation of women on equal terms with men in all fields.” This short statement encapsulates the importance of the promotion of Women’s Rights as Human Rights for the good of all. It underscores the obligation of States to work towards the promotion of women’s rights for true development and peace in the world.
The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), adopted in 1979 by the UN General Assembly, is often described as an international bill of rights for women. Consisting of a preamble and 30 articles, it defines what constitutes discrimination against women and sets up an agenda for State’s action to end such discrimination.
The Convention defines discrimination against women as "...any distinction, exclusion or restriction made on the basis of sex which has the effect or purpose of impairing or nullifying the recognition, enjoyment or exercise by women, irrespective of their marital status, on a basis of equality of men and women, of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the political, economic, social, cultural, civil or any other field."
Till date, the Holy See that has Observer Status at the UN has not yet ratified CEDAW.
Status of Women’s Rights:
Culture and tradition that developed in patriarchal society over the ages sought to curtail the freedom and rights of women in order to exercise control over her reproductive capacities to ensure the purity of a man’s lineage for the handing down of property. Man continues to be promoted as the lord and woman was his handmaid, even his slave in many parts of the world, even in the Church. She is coerced into silence about her oppression and the violence she experiences. Today it is still difficult to get women to speak up about violence because they are afraid to bring shame to their men-folk/priests and family.
The human rights of women across the world are severely curtailed in patriarchal society. It is a society that is hierarchical and structured for exclusions as there is no equality. Opportunity, power and privilege is hierarchical so there are sections of society that are deprived of their rights.
History reveals that the Church has not carried into practice the challenging but liberative message of the Gospel: that all human beings, as children of God, share in the same dignity and enjoy the same rights. The Church that led its believers to accept martyrdom as a witness to their faith has failed to apply the Gospel message to abolish all discrimination based on sex within its own structures as well in civil society where it exercised a decisive power.
Women religious are subjugated by the male clergy and hierarchy because of the prevailing culture. It is sad testimony to our faith in Jesus, who is the author of human rights, that the very institution that professes to promote his teachings does what is contrary.
As long as the sisters in the Church subject themselves to patriarchal authority and dominance they are upheld as paragons of virtue. The outspoken ones who question and oppose the domination of patriarchal authority are labelled as ‘rebels’. The male Church leadership decides everything about the life of the sisters from their dress to their prayer/prayer times, and basically everything to do with their lives in the convent. Sisters are treated as infants in the Church and not respected as mature and independent adults. This reality is completely in violation of the women’s human rights as well as of the teachings of Jesus.
Sexual abuse of women in the Church is prevalent but well hidden. The same culture and socialization that subjects women to male authority, maintains the silence behind such abuse. Jesuit Fr. George Pattery speaking to Union of Catholic Asian News at the February 2006 General Body meeting of the Conference of Religious of India (CRI), said “The tendency is to silence the victims whenever complaints of sexual abuse are made. From now on, we will work to formulate a policy that will ensure justice for all within the Church.” Montfort Brother Mani Mekkunnel, Executive Secretary of CRI spoke of the need to chart a policy on sexual abuse of religious within the Church. But women religious continue to be abused in the Church and the CRI is silent.
Equality in Leadership & Decision making:
With the denial of ordination to women, they are automatically denied the right to certain leadership positions in the Church. It is another indication of the violation of women’s status and equal dignity. It helps to keep women in a position of subservience and domination. The theory of ‘complementarity’, where women have a role distinct from men is used to keep women from leadership. The greater implication is the deprivation of the right of women to make decisions jointly with men in the church or to articulate her experience in theology and spirituality without being censured by the male Church leadership. Women’s right to articulate their experience of God is being undermined and often blocked by leaving out articulate women theologians from official Church bodies. By the same token women do not have the right to make decisions with regard to the living of their faith and its practice. They are even barred from talking about the denial of ordination to women.
“Women's socialization to private, male-dependent roles in the church has kept most women from exercising religious leadership. Not only has this deprived the church of vast resources of creative leadership; it has deprived women of a sense of themselves and of other women as leaders and limited their imagination in regard to what services they might render.”
I recall a remark made by an Indian bishop at a training seminar for women leaders. He said to a group gathered around at tea-break, “The discrimination against women and the destruction of the female foetus will stop only when women can become bishops!” The remark sums up the impact of denial of positions of leadership to women on their dignity and status in Church and society.
The One track Pro life Agenda.
In March March 2009, the news of the excommunication of a mother and the doctors who performed an abortion on the 9 year old daughter of the woman shocked women rights leaders. The child was raped by her step-father and became pregnant with twins. There is no mention about any punishment to the man who raped the child. What message does this give? One cardinal even stated that his sin was the lesser evil! This shows the complete insensitivity and deep disconnect of Church leaders with women’s reality.
The pro-life agenda of the Church that targets women has only served to turn women away from motherhood. Giving women the choice to make decisions regarding their body and sexuality is denied because the male leadership has decided the norms for women without a dialogue with women from across the world. This again is a denial of women’s rights.
Showing understanding and compassion in the varied circumstances under which women go in for abortions, and addressing those circumstances would go a long way in solving the problem. Problems are complex and require wholistic and multi-pronged solutions.
Constant emphasis on women’s role as mother and the one responsible for the stability of the family puts an unnecessary burden of responsibility on only one partner in a marriage. So much so that men especially in Asia and Africa tend to abdicate their responsibility in the family.
The male interpretation of scriptures which is the official view and teaching on women and gender is problematic as it denies fundamental rights and freedoms to women and non-gender binary persons in the Church.
This stereotyping of women inhibits them from realizing their gifts and talents, and achieving positions in society which they would otherwise be capable of, because motherhood becomes the bedrock of their life. Society is deprived of the important perspectives women need to contribute towards bringing wholeness.
Promotion Of Women’s Rights As Church Mission:
The Church does not encourage a single organization of women that promotes the empowerment of women for asserting her rights and autonomy. The organizations of women that are recognized in the Church are all mouth pieces of the male hierarchy. They will go to the extent of denouncing women who stand up for women’s rights. The leadership of the Church’s largest federation of women’s organizations WUCWO even signed a letter to the UN criticizing CEDAW.
While the Church has set up a Women’s Desk or office in its structures, this mechanism does not address issues of women from a women’s perspective, but from the perspective of patriarchial Church teaching which is still very medieval, and imposes the Bishops’ views on women. There is no channel through which the women’s voices are heard in the Church.
The Church has to first listen to women to understand their reality. To do this, they have to allow knowledgeable and articulate women to set the agenda for such a dialogue. Women have to be allowed to work out a programme for their empowerment in the structure of the Church. Men cannot dictate this.
The Catholic Bishops Conference of India (CBCI) brought out a Gender Policy to address the concerns of women. The then President of the CBCI in his Foreword states “that violence and discrimination exist but it is the most unpunished of all crimes.” He calls on the Universal Church to make a favourable situation for women that will create co-partnership in the family, society and the world.” The Church is left out. At the end he calls for “a proper understanding of the specific role of both men and women in our homes and workplaces, in our human interactions and social relationships in the Church and Society at large.”
Needless to say the policy has had no impact on the reality of Catholic women either in the Church, family or society. The statistics of violence to women are growing and the CBCI Commission for Women that helped bring out the policy has been demoted to a Council for Women which is totally disconnected from the reality of women. The Church has no structure to address issues of violence to women, nor to create awareness on the concerns of women.
However women have taken the initiative to form groups to address these issues. There is the group Sisters in Solidarity that addresses issues of sexual abuse of women in the Church in India, especially of religious women and accompanies these women in their pursuit of justice. The Indian Women Theologians’ Forum articulates theology and spirituality from a women’s perspective and experience. A wider ecumenical body called the Indian Christian Women’s Movement has been formed to create awareness on women’s concrerns as well as to be the voice of Christian Women in Church and Society. Ecclesia of Women in Asia is a Forum for Asian Women Theologians to present and publish their theological work.
The Church is expected to be the sign and the seed of the reign of God in the world. Therefore, it has to lead by example. The Church must first be seen to do justice to women by accepting and promoting their equality and partnership in responsibilities at every level of life.
Footnotes:
Metti SCC, Redefining Identity and Reweaving of Women Religious Life. Paper Presented at 2008 Meeting of Indian Women Theologians’ Forum
Schneiders Sandra M, “Effects of Women’s Experience on Their Spirituality”. Article on the internet.
