Brendan Butler: Catholic Church will drive women away with refusal to let them play a full role
An opportunity to assert the right of Catholic women to equality in the Catholic Church was thrown away by a misogynistic group of Vatican-appointed theologians by the publication of their decision to exclude women from the Order of the Diaconate.
There is no justification in scripture or Christian tradition for such a ludicrous and demeaning decision. There is no doubt that this decision was already preordained by the decision of Pope Francis to pack a supposedly open-minded commission with ultra-conservative theologians whose misogynist views against the ordination of female deacons were already known.
This preordained decision is a mockery of and an insult against the views of the vast majority of Catholic women, who find these ingrained prejudices and patriarchal structures totally unacceptable.
A recent poll has reported that “38% of Gen Z women aged between 18-24 now identify as religiously unaffiliated – a notable statistic that sits higher than their male peers”.
This latest Vatican decision on female deacons will doubtlessly intensify this trend, especially among Catholic women.
Brendan Butler, Drumcondra, Dublin 9
Letter published in the Irish Independent
When I read this letter In the national paper and had to remind myself it wasn’t the normal tabloids. As the more educated wise ones who read this forum I know that tabloids have an ability to read or send out catchy headlines.
A recent poll has reported that “38% of Gen Z women aged between 18-24 now identify as religiously unaffiliated – a notable statistic that sits higher than their male peers”.
Let’s be honest most politicians ignore polls telling us that the most important poll is on voting day.
So I think I’ll take my chances and ignore this poll and listen to the women I encounter day in day out who in their words “trust the power of the Holy Spirit”.