An age of coming to terms with women's business
Catholic Weekly (9 January 2000)
by Esther Doyle
A member of the National Women's Consultative Council from 1987 to 1989, ESTHER DOYLE considers what changes in the Church over this century have meant for Catholic women. In 1986 the Pope recognised Esther Doyle's contribution to the Church.
In reflecting on events and changes in the Catholic Church in Australia over the past century, I have had no personal experience I can recall before I started school in 1932, the year the Sydney Harbour Bridge was opened. I do remember that.
I know, however, that my parents - mother, a Catholic and father, a Jew - were married behind the high altar in St Brendan's Church, Annandale in 1925. I never heard my mother complain about this, because she was a devout Catholic of Irish descent and accepted all Church teaching, regardless. My Jewish father, not devout at all, probably didn't care as long as it was all legal.
Back to my schooldays. I was educated by nuns, who were dressed in black from head to foot. When I was very young they scared me - I thought they didn't eat and they had no hair! I did learn to love most of them. Not many had any formal qualifications for teaching.
Our parish was in the care of a missionary order of priests. The homilies preached from the pulpit scared me also. Over the years these things have changed; but most of my religious and academic education was ruled by fear.
Fortunately, there have been wonderful changes in the lives of the religious, especially those of nuns. They have been really liberated, able to develop their full vocations not always in teaching or nursing. Their presence and compassion mean so much to hundreds of disadvantaged, disabled and marginalised men, women and children. I come now to other changes and events, some not quite as important as others; but significant nevertheless.
We now have our Mass celebrated in English. (What happened to the concept of "Mass is the same no matter where you are in the world"?) The priest faces the congregation. We really are part of the celebration now, not just an audience. The laity are allowed to play some roles; but women are still not as important as men. We can all receive the Host in our hand if we wish.
Holy days of obligation are almost all gone. Suddenly we could eat meat on Fridays. (I like the old story about the person, who, when told about this said "What happened to the poor so and so's who ate it last Friday?")
We don't have to fast from midnight before receiving Communion, and we can go to Mass at almost any hour, day or night. The rules on Confession have been relaxed and hopefully they will be relaxed even more in the near future. All the old rigid restrictions about "mixed" marriages have gone too, thank God, as have those about attending services in non-Catholic churches. All of these changes came about because of Vatican II when the "windows were opened".
After Vatican II came the 1968 Papal Encyclical Humanae Vitae which many people did not understand. At this point many chose to ignore the ban on contraceptives and perhaps were lost to the Church. It was also difficult for women who had several children in close succession and suffered subsequent gynaecological problems to appreciate the spirit of Humanae Vitae.
Sexuality is also a topic many priests found difficult to discuss and despite education it remains an awkward subject even today.
Vatican advice is that the sexual act should only take place in marriage for purposes of procreation and the sustenance of the relationship of the couple. Unfortunately, many people don't understand this message.
The big change is that Natural Family Planning methods are now more understandable and have become more widely used.
Also, there is now recognition that conscience is paramount in this area as in other circumstances in life; and there has been a great development in the understanding of the spirituality of marriage.
Finally, the death of vocations to the priesthood and religious life has had a big impact on the Church and no doubt the laity will be called on more and more unless this situation changes. Is God testing us?
There are a few more changes I would like to see in the Church, which include:
- The relaxation of the celibacy rules for the priesthood. I
was delighted to read that recently Cardinal Martini of Milan
said he felt the Church should re-examine its rule on priestly
celibacy.
- More compassion and understanding for the
"blameless" party in marriage breakdown. At times the
innocent spouse has to wait years before they can remarry, while
the annulment process takes place.
- Also, I would like to see those Church agencies who do not
employ those who are divorced and remarried, rethink and update
those rules.
- Some Church-based institutional care for the physically
and/or mentally disabled would be a wonderful venture - not only
for the disabled, but such a comfort for their carers! So many
older parents live in anguish, worried about what will happen to
their children, especially their daughters, when they themselves
can no longer cope. I am aware that just a few nuns and others
are doing this extremely difficult work in many suburbs and
country areas, but it is not always conveniently available to
those in need. What about respite care, at least?
- Ecumenism is not flourishing as it should. The majority of
the laity appear happy enough to "go along" with their
friends of other churches; but there seems to be a stalemate in
other areas. I pray this situation can be improved.
- When will women be given more consultative and management roles in the Church? We are certainly seen more (numerically) in the churches; but we are not much to the fore otherwise.
I have pointed out many changes of the century and those I'd like to see in the future. Of course, the only things that haven't changed, and won't, are the words of the gospels - the words that tell us not only of Christ's life, death and resurrection, but also of his love, compassion, understanding, healing of the sick, feeding of the hungry and his strength when dealing with evil.
Esther Doyle is a fomer state, national and Sydney president of the Catholic Women's League. She served on the Bishop's Commissions of Social Welfare and Ecumenism, and on the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital board.
