Bridget Mary's Response: The women's liberation movement is the voice of God in our times that challenges all churches and religious institutions to treat women as equals. I believe Pope Francis is in discernment mode and there are signs of progress. While I welcome the appointment of a woman as #2 spokesperson for the Vatican Communications Office, I think he could have named a woman as the #1 spokesperson.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2016/07/11/pope-francis-names-first-american-and-first-woman-as-his-1-and-2-spokespeople/
I am also hopeful that Pope Francis will begin a dialogue with our international Roman Catholic Women Priests Movement as a concrete step toward healing,justice and equality for women in the church. Bridget Mary Meehan, ARCWP, www.arcwp.org
Article: Could Pope Francis Be a Feminist?
In response to Pope Francis, Amoris Laetitia "The headlines zeroed in on the pope’s statements regarding divorced and remarried couples and his latest commentary regarding gay marriage. Below the radar, however, were Francis’s words on the progress of women’s rights: “Even though significant advances have been made in the recognition of women’s rights and their participation in public life, in some countries much remains to be done to promote these rights. Unacceptable customs still need to be eliminated.
"Even bolder were Francis’s strong condemnations of those who blame societal woes on the women’s liberation movement: “There are those who believe that many of today’s problems have arisen because of feminine emancipation. This argument, however, is not valid. … The equal dignity of men and women makes us rejoice to see old forms of discrimination disappear, and within families there is a growing reciprocity...
As journalist David Gibson wrote in December 2014, “When he speaks about women, Francis can sound a lot like the (almost) 78-year-old Argentine churchman that he is, using analogies that sound alternately condescending and impolitic, even if well-intentioned.” One of his worst moments was earlier that month, when he tried to compliment leading female theologians by calling them “strawberries on the cake.”
Francis has said the church must enter a period of discernment regarding how it relates to issues of family life, love and sex. Clearly Francis has learned a lot in his own discernment."
Christopher Hale is the executive director of Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good and co-founder of Millennial. He has written for Acts of Faith about Rick Santorum and Planned Parenthood.
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