A Paradigm Shift: The Catholic Church Looks to Drastically Increase Inclusion of Women and LGBTQ+ followers

4/07/2023

Ilona Barrero

In October 2021, Pope Francis, the leader of the largest institutionalized religion in the world, announced a revolutionary project aimed at revisiting the Catholic Church’s relationship with its believers. He announced his ambition to gather all 1.36 billion Catholics in a global synod, or “advisory assembly”, a process that revisits the mission of the Catholic Church, traditionally reserved for bishops and cardinals^[1]Weber, P. (2022, October 11). What the Catholic Church is learning from Pope Francis’ big bet on “synodality.” The Week. https://theweek.com/pope-francis/1016834/the-popes-synod-on-syondality. This universal synod was so unprecedented that the Vatican had to devise a new name for it: The Synod on Synodality, defined as “a style, a culture, a way of thinking and being, that reflects the truth that the church is led by the Holy Spirit who enables everyone to offer their own contribution to the church’s life^[2]Weber, P. (2022, October 11). What the Catholic Church is learning from Pope Francis’ big bet on “synodality.” The Week. https://theweek.com/pope-francis/1016834/the-popes-synod-on-syondality”. The Pope has described the Synod as a spiritual process taking place within the Church, with elements similar to political process such as votes or opinion polls^[3]Weber, P. (2022, October 11). What the Catholic Church is learning from Pope Francis’ big bet on “synodality.” The Week. https://theweek.com/pope-francis/1016834/the-popes-synod-on-syondality. Aside from representing a spiritual mecca for billions of people around the world, the Catholic Church has considerable levels of influence on the social and political dynamics of many nations. The Church represents a beacon of morality for many institutions around the world, and has the power to affect policies and social attitudes towards any number of controversial topics. Moreover, this is why the novel Synod on Synodality has made waves across all continents, with many marginalized believers buzzing with hope at the prospect of voicing their concerns about inclusion in their houses of worship. This article will explore the question:  Is the Synod on Synodality propagated by Pope Francis a real opportunity to promote inclusivity in the Catholic Church? With the intentions of analyzing the meanings, implications, and consequences of the outcomes of the Synod. 

What Exactly is the Synod on Synodality?

The Synod on Synodality has been called  the greatest challenge of the Pope’s career by high ranking Church members because of its highly unorthodox and decentralized nature. The ambitious project was inspired by Pope Francis’ desire to increase lay involvement after the recent crises faced by the Vatican, which have shaken the faith of many believers around the world^[4]Giangravé, C. (2023, June 20). Vatican confirm synod topics will address questions of LGBTQ+ and women deacons. Religion News Service. … Continue reading. Most notably, the unraveling of the sexual abuse scandal by high-ranking members of the Catholic Church in the United States, where more than 300 priests were found to have assaulted at least 1,000 children over 70 years^[5]Graham, R. (2023, June 3). What the Latest Investigations Into Catholic Church Sex Abuse Mean. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/02/us/catholic-church-sex-abuse-investigations.html. The initial Pennsylvania report unraveled hundreds of other abuse cases in other states and countries. While these scandals gained international attention, Gallup reported that 37% of U.S Catholics were considering leaving the Church in the wake of the reports of abuse^[6]Jones, J. M. (2019, March 13). Many U.S. Catholics Question Their Membership Amid Scandal. Gallup.com; Gallup. https://news.gallup.com/poll/247571/catholics-question-membership-amid-scandal.aspx. Furthermore, as many people continue to feel isolated from the Church and the lack of concrete measures against abusers, the Synod on Synodality provides an opportunity for these grievances to be addressed. In this Synod, every single Catholic parish, church, and affiliated organizations over the 7 continents was encouraged to hold its own local listening and discussion sessions, where members were free to express what they wanted from the Church, what they felt was missing, and how they thought the Church could more promptly respond to its followers’ spiritual needs. These discussions were then documented and sent to local dioceses or archdioceses, who compiled the contributions into reports sent to regional bodies that were used by national bishops in conferences^[7]Weber, P. (2022, October 11). What the Catholic Church is learning from Pope Francis’ big bet on “synodality.” The Week. https://theweek.com/pope-francis/1016834/the-popes-synod-on-syondality. This is currently where the process is at, and in the fall of 2023, bishops from dozens of countries will gather in Rome, Italy to discuss these contributions. This process represents a paradigm shift in how the Catholic Church dispels its mission to its billions of followers. By striving to include all of its believers in this Synode, Pope Francis is decentralizing Vatican authority, and handing over its influence to all Catholics while opening up the Church to great scrutiny in the process.

A New Face for The Catholic Church

During the process of the Synod on Synodality, the Vatican released a document titled Instrumentum Laboris (Latin for Working Document), which includes the topics and grievances to be discussed in the fall. Some of the most prominent topics include LGBTQ+ inclusion, the possibility of allowing women to become priestesses, and welcoming divorced people as well as people in polyamorous relationships^[8]Giangravé, C. (2023, June 20). Vatican confirm synod topics will address questions of LGBTQ+ and women deacons. Religion News Service. … Continue reading. One of the most pertinent topics is the role of women in the future of the Church. The document refers to the possibility of women taking on leadership roles in the Church, especially as diocese^[9]Desmond, J. F. (2023, June 23). An Explainer: Synod on Synodality to Rehash Possibility of Women Deacons. NCR. … Continue reading. The instrumentum laboris reports that “most of the Continental Assemblies and the syntheses of several Episcopal Conferences call for the question of women’s inclusion in the diaconate to be considered,”, and poses a question to the bishops, asking if this is even possible^[10] Synod 2021-2024. (2023). Instrumentum Laboris For the First Session. https://www.synod.va/content/dam/synod/common/phases/universal-stage/il/ENG_INSTRUMENTUM-LABORIS.pdf. The question of women’s dignity and inclusion in the Church is a highly recurring topics in the instrumentum laboris, often being referred to as the “baptismal dignity of women” in the document, suggesting that many women active in the Church do not feel equal in spirit to their male counterparts^[11] Synod 2021-2024. (2023). Instrumentum Laboris For the First Session. https://www.synod.va/content/dam/synod/common/phases/universal-stage/il/ENG_INSTRUMENTUM-LABORIS.pdf. Catholics are clearly calling for the integration of women into the Church’s governing bodies, although it feels like a long shot. Since Pope Francis’ inauguration as Pope, he has increased female presence in the Roman Curia and appointed papal commissions to investigate the historical and theological record of women in the Church^[12]Desmond, J. F. (2023, June 23). An Explainer: Synod on Synodality to Rehash Possibility of Women Deacons. NCR. … Continue reading. Although these steps are admirable, very little change has actually occurred. However, there is hope to be found in the fact that “the Continental Assemblies were unanimous in calling for attention to the experience, status and role of women, notwithstanding the different perspectives present within each continent^[13] Synod 2021-2024. (2023). Instrumentum Laboris For the First Session. https://www.synod.va/content/dam/synod/common/phases/universal-stage/il/ENG_INSTRUMENTUM-LABORIS.pdf”. Women still cannot become priestesses, or become deacons, or anything of the like, demonstrating that even though they can reach important political appointments, they cannot become official spiritual leaders. Furthermore, the instrumentum laboris also mentions the question of LGBTQ+ acceptance in the, asking questions on how to create safe spaces for followers who have felt excluded and unwelcomed in their places of worship^[14] Synod 2021-2024. (2023). Instrumentum Laboris For the First Session. https://www.synod.va/content/dam/synod/common/phases/universal-stage/il/ENG_INSTRUMENTUM-LABORIS.pdf. In the same section, the document also addresses the desire for inclusion of racial minorities, migrants, refugees, victims of human trafficking, and homeless people. Finally, the instrumentum laboris makes several mentions of the sexual abuse scandals that have been plaguing the Church in recent history, and poses the questions of how to continue to offer reparations to victims and protect children from predatory behavior in their local churches.

The instrumentum laboris makes large strides toward the inclusion of previously marginalized groups in the Catholic Church, and also makes the Synod on Synodality extremely accessible to everyone around the world. The document can be accessed for free on the synod website in French, English, German, Spanish, Italian, Polish, and Portuguese, reflecting the Church’s willingness to make the Synod on Synodality accessible to all Catholics and non-Catholics who wish to read it. These factors are certainly promising, and including believers’ grievances as discussion points is a great first step, but the document does not go any further in the analysis. As of now, there is no concrete plan for the inclusion of these marginalized groups, just the acknowledgement that they want to be included. It will be up to the bishops gathered for the Rome summit to take the necessary measures and decide which of the many grievances in the instrumentum laboris they wish to prioritize and take action on. 

The Past of Women and LGBTQ+ people in the Church 

In recent years, a growing number of women have begun holding consequential positions in the Church internationally, and in the Vatican. However, women rising to leadership roles at grassroots levels have made the most significant progress. Indeed – in their local parishes and institutions, they are proving that they can become successful spiritual leaders, even if they are barred from priesthood^[15]Giangrave, C. (2021b, December 8). Barred from priesthood, some Catholic women find other roles. AP NEWS. … Continue reading. Most notably, Sister Nathalie Becquart was recently appointed as the first female undersecretary of the Synod of Bishops. She was assigned this important post by the Pope, a position that had previously only been held by bishops. However, even though this is a great opportunity for showing that women can hold powerful positions in the Church, Sister Becquart’s situation still reflects the glass ceiling women face due to  their inability to get ordained, and the obstacles they face climbing the ranks at the Vatican. In fact, women can even face excommunication if they seek to become ordained^[16]Perasso, V., & Pearce, G. (2022, December 13). Excommunicated: The Women Fighting to be Priests. BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-63923460. The Vatican sees this as a serious crime under canon law, and even though the instrumentum laboris suggests this could be changed, there is still a long way to go. 

The complicated relationship between sexual minorities and women in the Church goes further than the ban on women’s ordination, or the social stigma faced by gay people in their spiritual communities. Scholars analyzing the experience of womanhood in the Church showcase the misogyny is ingrained in the institution itself and in the Bible. As discussed by Rosemary Radford Ruether, an American feminist and Roman Catholic theologian, the Bible states that, even in the original creation of women in paradise, the woman was created to be subject to man in her sexual roles as wife and child bearer^[17]Ruether, R. R. (2014). Sexism and Misogyny in the Christian Tradition: Liberating Alternatives. Buddhist-Christian Studies, 34(1), 83–94. https://doi.org/10.1353/bcs.2014.0020. In the verse Timothy 2:13-14, women are explicitly said to be second to men in nature but first in sin^[18]Ruether, R. R. (2014). Sexism and Misogyny in the Christian Tradition: Liberating Alternatives. Buddhist-Christian Studies, 34(1), 83–94. https://doi.org/10.1353/bcs.2014.0020. The Church has a long history of using religious texts to subjugate women, and place them at the heart of evil and sin. Important religious figures such as Thomas Aquinas and Martin Luther both believed in the inferiority of women, forever shaping the history and discourse of the Church as such^[19]Ruether, R. R. (2014). Sexism and Misogyny in the Christian Tradition: Liberating Alternatives. Buddhist-Christian Studies, 34(1), 83–94. https://doi.org/10.1353/bcs.2014.0020. There is an inherent contradiction when the laity seeks equality from an institution that operates from a text that repeatedly bars this idea. Furthermore, the situation for LGBTQ+ believers is not much better. The Cathechism of the Catholic Church, which contains the core teachings of the Church, names “homosexual acts” as “intrinsically immoral and contrary to the natural law” and “objectively disordered”^[20]Human Rights Campaign. (2011, August 17). Stances of faiths on LGBTQ issues: Roman Catholic church. Human Rights Campaign. … Continue reading. It is worth to note that in recent years, the Church has liberalized its views under the tenure of Pope Francis. He has publicly criticized laws that ban homosexuality, and stated that God loves all of His children as they are^[21]AP in the Vatican City. (2023, January 25). Pope Francis calls for end to anti-gay laws and LGBTQ+ welcome. The Guardian … Continue reading. In his statement, Pope Francis said that homosexuality should not be a crime, but nevertheless reiterated that it was a sin^[22]AP in the Vatican City. (2023, January 25). Pope Francis calls for end to anti-gay laws and LGBTQ+ welcome. The Guardian … Continue reading. Even if Pope Francis’ remarks are out of character for the Church and seem accepting towards gay Catholics, he still fundamentally categorized homosexuality as a sin. This reinforces the idea that the existence of gay people in the Church is inherently immoral and wrong, which is the attitude that sparks feelings of exclusion from these groups in the first place. 

A New Future for the Church?

The new inclusive approach of the Synod on Synodality is promising for the topics of inclusion in the Church. The Vatican finally has a direct ear to the complaints and grievances of billions of Christians in multiple continents who wish for change. They are explicitly urging the Church to become more egalitarian and less judgemental; to welcome broken and marginalized people looking for faith and hope. However, the reality is that the instrumentum laboris, the working Synod on Synodality document, does not outline any solutions to the many existential questions asked by the laity. All of these questions will hopefully be discussed this October, 2023 by bishops from around the world in Rome. The summit will only include bishops (who are all male), meaning that the decision for women’s and sexual minorities’s inclusion will lay in the hands of men who are accustomed to following the conservative gospel of the Church, and have not faced this kind of discrimination before. Realistically, it would take more than the Synod on Synodality to institutionalize a culture of inclusion for women and LGBTQ+ believers in the Church. There are millions of churches and parishes in the world, all with differing levels of acceptance and different cultural attitudes towards women, homosexuality, polyamory, etc. Creating and standardizing a threshold of inclusion in Catholicism is a mighty task, which will cause much political and social controversy in dozens of countries. Most importantly, it would also mean having to re-interpret many Bible verses that have been used as dog-whistles to justify the oppression of women and members of the LGBTQ+ community, in order to now be able to explain their newfound inclusion.

To quote this article: Ilona Barrero (2023). A Paradigm Shift: The Catholic Church Looks to Drastically Increase Inclusion of Women and LGBTQ+ followers. Institut du Genre en Géopolitique. https://igg-geo.org/?p=13631&lang=en

The statements in this article are the sole responsibility of the author.