Rumblings from the pews
Ann Nugent believes that Catholic women should have the same right as men to be ordained as priests. She is the editor of a newspaper published by the national group Ordination of Catholic Women.
She has been punished for her views by her local bishop, Geoffrey Mayne, who follows to the letter instructions from that "infallible" man the pope.
In his apostolic letter Ad Tuendam Fidem (To Defend the Faith) released on June 30, Pope John Paul II reiterated that only men are allowed the top-dog parish position of priest — or bishop or pope for that matter. The justification for this position is based on the Bible passage: "I permit no woman to teach or to have authority over men; she is to keep silent". 1 Timothy, chapter 2, verse 13.
As a result of Nugent's persistent propaganda and agitation, Mayne has refused to allow her to take communion. This is the Catholic equivalent of being placed in solitary confinement. Nugent has been advised that she will be dismissed from the parish council and may no longer be a lector (reader) at mass.
Mayne is bishop to the Australian Defence Forces in Canberra and a devout follower of the pope and the Bible — staunch defenders of the view that women are second class citizens. Some of Mayne's fellow bishops, and the archbishop of Canberra, have questioned the severity of his actions against Nugent. However, because of the papal teachings, their own future may be affected if they speak out.
The effect of the Catholic Church's reactionary policies on women is profound. Women's lives are stymied by its upholding of the sanctity of the family. The church's strict ban on abortion (except in some cases of rape), restrictions on divorce and limitations on women's right to choose whether or when to bear children make its teachings among the most repressive in the modern world.
In the June 28 Portugal referendum on whether or not to legalise abortion, parish priests in the north told congregations that if they voted to legalise abortion on demand they would no longer be able to attend church.
Despite opinion polls showing that around 70% of Portuguese were in favour of legalising abortion, the referendum was defeated. Many commentators say this was due to the considerable pressure exerted by the church.
The ability of women to control their fertility is a fundamental precondition for equality between the sexes.
Although the Catholic Church blocks the liberation of women, those women who nevertheless chose to be a part of it should have the right to participate equally with men.
But the direct participation of women will not bring about a change in the anti-feminist perspective of the churches, especially the Catholic Church.
Society needs to be changed by women and men in the here and now. Waiting piously to be rewarded for "good deeds" in some less than certain after-life does nothing to free women, within and beyond the church, from a lifetime of oppression.
By Margaret Allum