My Turn: Women in the Catholic Church

  • By JIM HALE
  • Monday, May 16, 2016 1:00am
  • Opinion

My favorite photograph of Catholic monk Thomas Merton, taken by photographer Ralph Meatyard in 1967, shows Merton standing around in his ballcap and monk suit, sleeves rolled up, not a whiff of false piety about him. A cheerful benevolence lurks behind his eyes, but the look on his face is serious: you can tell that this guy means business—stalwart, fearless, smart as a whip.

He’s the personification of the Catholic Church I love.

But the first word that this photo of Merton brings to mind is manliness. Merton looks manly. No braggadocio or machismo, which are merely forms of vanity, but real manliness—virtues that, of course, characterize serious women as well: courage, honesty, compassion. The word virtue itself, originally meaning power and efficacy, derives from the Latin word for man, vir, but this gender specificity is just an historical nightmare from which western civilization finally seems to be awakening. Courage, honesty, compassion: the values we all share—men and women alike—when we’re at our best. Manliness.

But manliness is not a word that often comes to mind when one thinks of the Church these days. Indeed, the Church in recent years has often behaved otherwise. Where it should be fearless and open, it has often cowered behind an inscrutable bureaucracy. Where it should be authoritative (which is not the same as being authoritarian), it has been insufferably petulant, whining that its institutional freedom in America is threatened by a law whose sole intent is to give all Americans access to adequate health care—a benefit that, if available for all mothers and children, might help a woman decide against abortion.

And the Church seems most unmanly in its continuing failure to embrace the full authority of women in all matters and in all positions, episcopal as well as pastoral, clerical rather than merely clerical.

This morning Pope Francis announced that he is convening a commission to study the possibility of allowing women to serve as deacons in the Catholic church—news that the National Catholic Reporter sees as “signaling an historic openness to the possibility of ending the global institution’s practice of an all-male clergy.”

Let’s hope so. It’s a little crazy to still insist on an all-male clergy, as if mere maleness endows a person with more authority, more sagacity, more efficacy in any field, but especially in questions of religion and faith. Indeed, the two people here in Juneau whose authority in spiritual matters I trust most, trust implicitly—and trust over a whole gaggle of bishops, priests, and deacons—are women. One is a Dominican sister, and the other is my wife, the reach of whose humanity sometimes takes my breath away.

Whatever scriptural sophistry might be advanced for closeting the priesthood from the full breadth of human experience and authority, prohibiting women from the clergy all comes down to a matter of fear: somewhere deep in the Church’s gut is a festering little gynophobia that needs to be exorcised. Love and fear are incompatible.

The Catholic Church needs to man up, as they say. It needs to get women into positions of authority. But that’s not going to happen until it gets some men in there first.

• Jim Hale lives in Juneau.

More in Opinion

Web
Have something to say?

Here’s how to add your voice to the conversation.

A preliminary design of Huna Totem’s Aak’w Landing shows an idea for how the project’s Seawalk could connect with the city’s Seawalk at Gold Creek (left). (Jasz Garrett / Juneau Empire file photo)
Opinion: To make Juneau affordable, grow our economy

Based on the deluge of comments on social media, recent proposals by… Continue reading

The White House in Washington, Jan. 28, 2025. A federal judge said on Monday, Feb. 3, 2025, that she intended to temporarily block the Trump administration from imposing a sweeping freeze on trillions of dollars in federal grants and loans, adding to the pushback against an effort by the White House’s Office and Management and Budget. (Doug Mills/The New York Times)
My Turn: A plea for Alaska’s delegation to actively oppose political coup occurring in D.C.

An open letter to Alaska’s Congressional delegation: I am a 40-year resident… Continue reading

Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) questions Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Pentagon, during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee at the Capitol in Washington on Tuesday morning, Jan. 14, 2025. (Kenny Holston/The New York Times)
Opinion: Sen. Sullivan doesn’t know the meaning of leadership

Last Wednesday, Sen. Dan Sullivan should have been prepared for questions about… Continue reading

Current facilities operated by the private nonprofit Gastineau Human Services Corp., which is seeking to add to its transitional housing in Juneau. (Gastineau Human Services Corp. photo)
Opinion: Housing shouldn’t be a political issue — it’s a human right

Alaska is facing a crisis — one that shouldn’t be up for… Continue reading

(Juneau Empire file photo)
Letter: In the spirit of McKinley, a new name for Juneau

Here is a modest proposal for making Juneau great again. As we… Continue reading

(Juneau Empire file photo)
Letter: Protect the balance of democracy

We are a couple in our 70s with 45-plus years as residents… Continue reading

President Donald Trump signs executive orders in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington on Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, following his inauguration as the 47th president. Legal experts said the president was testing the boundaries of executive power with aggressive orders designed to stop the country from transitioning to renewable energy. (Doug Mills/The New York Times)
Opinion: Sen. McConnell, not God, made Trump’s retribution presidency possible

I’m not at all impressed by President Donald Trump’s executive order aimed… Continue reading

Juneau Assembly members confer with city administrative leaders during a break in an Assembly meeting Monday, Nov 18, 2024. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire file photo)
Opinion: Community affordability takes a back seat to Assembly spending

Less than four months ago, Juneau voters approved a $10 million bond… Continue reading

(Juneau Empire file photo)
Letter: Informing the Public?

The recent Los Angeles area firestorms have created their own media circus… Continue reading

Bins of old PFAS-containing firefighting foams are seen on Oct. 24, 2024, at the Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport fire department headquarters. The PFAS foams are due to be removed and sent to a treatment facility. The airport, like all other state-operated airports, is to switch to non-PFAS firefighting foams by the start of 2025, under a new state law. (Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon)
Opinion: A change for safer attire: PFAS Alternatives Act 2023

Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, also known as PFAS, are man-made synthetic chemicals… Continue reading

Attendees are seated during former President Jimmy Carter’s state funeral at Washington National Cathedral in Washington, on Jan. 9, 2025. Pictures shared on social media by the vice president and by the Carter Center prominently showed other past presidents in attendance. (Erin Schaff/The New York Times)
Opinion: Karen Pence’s silent act of conscience

Last week at Jimmy Carter’s funeral, President-elect Donald Trump and former President… Continue reading