Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Paris Cardinal skirts sexism complaint

Fifteen women known as the "Skirt Committee" have withdrawn a sexism charge lodged at the Paris Diocesan Tribunal against Cardinal Andre Vingt-Trois after he apologised for his choice of words over the role of women in the Church.

AFP reports the charge was lodged last week after Cardinal Vingt-Trois told Radio Notre Dame in a November interview that "the most difficult issue" in relation to the celebration of church services "is to find appropriately formed women."

"It's not enough just to wear a skirt, they need to have something in their heads," he said in the interview following the French bishops conference at Lourdes in early November.

He was responding to a question on the recent Synod of Bishops proposal to open up the role of lector to women.

"It's not a difficult issue," Cardinal Vingt-Trois said, since they already read "as much as possible".

"The most difficult issue," he continued, "is to find appropriately formed women. It's not enough just to wear a skirt, they need to have something in their heads."

Satirical magazine, Le Canard enchaine, picked up the comments which provoked a volley of commentary from men and women in the French church.

Expressing "indignation" over the Cardinal's comments, the "Skirt Committee" said that "even when humour is intended, any scorn directed towards women endangers the balance of society as a whole."

However, women workers at the Paris diocesan offices came to the Cardinal's defence, refuting accusations of "misogyny", and noting that he had appointed them to their roles.

In his response, Cardinal Vingt-Trois also pointed to his previous role as head of the Paris Cathedral School "which had formed hundreds if not thousands of women", many of whom "now hold positions of considerable importance in the mission of the Church to announce the Gospel."

"What I said was clearly maladroit and poorly expressed," he apologised on Saturday, "and I regret it because it was exactly the opposite of what I was trying to say."

"What I wanted to say was that the mission of baptised people in the Church does not depend on their sex but on their personal capacity."

The "Skirt Committee" declared its satisfaction with the outcome.

"It's not our intention to launch a long process," Committee spokesperson, Mrs Christine Pedotti, told AFP. "(The apology) is adequate. There's no need to take the matter any further."
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(Source: CTHN)