The Catholic Church should treat women with more respect and dignity, the Primate of All Ireland has said.
Archbishop Eamon Martin’s remarks are seen as a nudge to the Church to update its stance at a time when Irish Mass attendance is falling.
But although he suggested the contribution of women to the Church’s development has been overlooked and the time has come for Rome to acknowledge their role in modern society, his ideas remain traditional.
Dr Martin, at the ‘Abide in His Love’ women’s conference in Bundoran, Co. Donegal, yesterday, said: ‘In a special way, you are called to insert, as leaven in the Church and in the world, your particular insights, and witness, as women, to key contemporary matters such as the protection of human life; outreach to poor, vulnerable and marginalised people; the safeguarding of children, marriage and the family; quality education and spiritual formation in our schools and parishes; and best practice in care and support for those who are disabled, sick or dying.
‘In recent years, we have become more appreciative of the indispensable contribution that women make to transforming the world “from within” and contributing to the daily life and mission of both Church and society.
‘Your woman’s voice, your specific vocation and charisms are needed more than ever today in Church and in society, for we struggle at times to navigate the complex, contradictory and misleading messages surrounding many contemporary issues which, left unchecked, risk the dehumanising of human life and dignity. Sadly, we live in a world where the personal dignity of women is too often threatened by violence, abuse, inequality, commercial surrogacy, pornography, gender ideology and various forms of exploitation.’
He added: ‘Friends, delegates to this women’s conference, all the more reason then for us, and for all in the Church, to champion and promote the dignity and specific charisms that you bring as women to enrich the quality of mission, governance, leadership, education, catechesis and evangelisation, as well as dialogue and decision-making in the Church.’
Despite repeated calls from feminist groups around the world, the Catholic Church is one of the last Christian institutions to refuse the title of ‘priest’ for women, a situation that many say openly discriminates against them.
The British-based Women’s Ordination Worldwide (WOW) movement wrote to the Catholic hierarchy in May, pleading with the newly elected Pope Leo XIV to address the isolation of women in the Church.
In its letter, WOW said: ‘We hope that Leo’s solidarity with the marginalised will include more than half of the world’s Catholics – women – who continue to be unjustly excluded from Church leadership and sacramental ministry. We hope that his leadership will include work for justice for women in both the Church and the world.’
The Catholic hierarchy has not moved on the role of women after Pope John Paul II confirmed the principle of denying them elevation to the priesthood in 1994, when he said the Church had ‘no authority whatsoever to confer priestly ordination on women’.
Pope Leo XIV has not issued any comments regarding the future elevation of women in the Church so far, only to say that ‘the appointment of women deacons is under study.