Men support women


On the Synodal Way of the German Catholic Church, about 230 members have gathered at each of the four Synodal Assemblies for their plenary sessions. On Saturday, September 10, the fourth plenary assembly of the Synodal Way closed in Frankfurt am Main. There, Catholic bishops, priests, and laypeople met to debate the reform of the Church in Germany and to make binding decisions. This is regarded as a path leading up to the actual Synod of Bishops in Rome in October 2023.

One of the members is the Benedictine nun, Sister Philippa Rath of St. Hildegard Abbey in Eibingen near Rüdesheim. She is particularly committed to full equality for women in the church. Sister Philippa is a theologian and political scientist, a member of the board of directors of the Convent, and responsible for the press and public relations of her organization. At the end of 2019, she was awarded the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany for her commitment to the church and social work. She says, "We have to get away from this hierarchical church. It's long overdue."[1]  She added, "The more various churches speak out now, for example, on the issue of women in ministries and offices in the church or on power and the separation of powers in the church, the greater the pressure will be for Rome to change something."

At the first session of the first synodal assembly in 2019, Sister Philippa heard two bishops say they doubted there were women called to be deacons or priests. She set out to prove them wrong and planned to gather the stories of twelve women who felt called to ministry. Not only did twelve women come forward, but 150 volunteered to tell their life stories. The book  Weil Gott es so will,[2] (Because God Wants It) contains the experiences of these women who told their life stories.

Now there is a continuation of the story. Her next book is called Frauen ins Amt! Männer der Kirche solidarisieren sich[3] (Women into Office: Men of the Church Solidarize). In this book, 100 men of the Church, including many prominent figures - priests, deacons and members of religious orders, lay people, and also some bishops - show solidarity with the women’s cause. In personal testimonies, they describe where they miss the cooperation of women in pastoral care and the joint commitment of the sexes in pastoral work. The many testimonies from the midst of the Church are a passionate appeal to finally recognize the diverse charisms and talents of women in the Church. They give a powerful response to the testimonies of the women and show: Women and men want to listen to the Spirit and do God's will. Women and men want change. Women and men want justice.

We are used to women not being treated as equal partners in many churches. Thus it is all the more gratifying that men are now publicly acknowledging that they miss women in church ministries. The church needs the cooperation of women, and that is why they are raising their voices. As Sister Philippa expresses it, these demands will also be heard in Rome, of which she is sure.

From October 6-12, 2022, the executive committee of the General Conference of the Seventh-day Adventist church. The meeting could perhaps be compared with a bishops' conference. I wish there were a movement in my church, too, that wants to advance reforms, but the power structure is becoming more and more hierarchical, and top-down control is constantly being increased. I'm sure that in my church, too, we could find hundreds of women who could tell us about their calling to the ministry and their life stories. And I am sure we could also find hundreds of men - church leaders, department heads, theologians, and lay people - who would express their support for women in the pastoral ministry. It was very encouraging to see that the presidents of the German-speaking SDA church organizations attended the Women's Congress in Schwäbisch Gmünd in September 2022 to demonstrate their appreciation for women. We would also need a ‘Sister Philippa’ to tackle a similar project to give women a voice, but also to give men the opportunity to make their position known.

 


© Synodaler Weg/Maximilian von Lachner


[1] bit.ly/3CNPOnN

[2] Rath, Philippa, "... weil Gott es so will": Frauen erzählen von ihrer Berufung zur Diakonin und Priesterin, 1. Februar 2021, Herder

[3] Rath, Philippa, et al., Frauen ins Amt!: Männer der Kirche solidarisieren sich , 31. Januar 2022, Herder.

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