Letter from John J Shea, OSA, to Bishops of England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales

Dear Bishops of England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales,

A while ago, I wrote to Cardinal Hollerich, enclosing an article from Crux (8/14) (Article printed in previous post on this site – Ed) about Archbishop Buti Joseph Tlhagale of Johannesburg, South Africa who describes in a homily “the abuses by men of women” in the church. Cardinal Hollerich is one of the Vatican officials asked to manage the gathering of the Synod of Bishops this October. 

While each country has unique variations on women’s abuse, the local church is often seen as complicit in justifying domestic violence, rape, femicide, trafficking, and other atroci­ties. Any cardinal, arch­bishop, or bishop in any country—with courage enough—could easily give a version of Archbishop Tlhagale’s homily in his own diocese. 

Is now the time for you to lift your voice in synodality over this ecclesial nightmare? Will you take responsibility for all the damage done to women in or through the church?  Will you take time to lament the terrible losses of wholeness involved? Will you then offer real solutions to the ecclesial misogyny still continuing to thrive on your watch? 

Let me recall Pope Francis’ address to the Synod on the Family in 2014. He told the gathered bishops to speak “freely,” “boldly,” and “without fear.” It was truly an extraordinary moment. Our Supreme Bridge­builder pleaded with his fellow bishops—grown men and the church’s teachers—to speak honestly with each other. 

Aristotle died in 322 BC. Today, no thinker on human development sees women as less in body and soul than men—less adult, moral, intelligent, religious, caring, just, loving, wise, or peaceful. How about you? Do you consider women, like men, as “fully in the likeness of Jesus”? If no, what do they lack? If yes, will you speak “freely,” “boldly,” and “without fear” about their tragic inferior status in our church? 

How much insouciant inertia is enough? How long this curse on our church and on our humanity? How long? How long? How long? How long? How long?

Sincerely,

John J. Shea, O.S.A. (retired, Fordham University and Boston College)