Pope Francis addresses "one of the great sins" in the church: The masculinization
On November 30, 2023, Pope Francis had a meeting at the Vatican with the International Theological Commission. During the discussion with its representatives, he noted what he called "one of the church's grave sins". He also spoke on the subject of women.
Interestingly, Pope Francis has been consistently surprising. Notably, during the recent World Day of the Poor, the Pope shared the table with transgender individuals, drawing positive attention from the LGBT+ community. On the last Thursday of November, he had a meeting with the International Theological Commission where he stated, "The Church is female".
Pope Francis on the Church and Women's Role: Surprising Declarations
"Women have different capacities for theological contemplation than us men," the Pope argued during a Thursday meeting. He emphasised that the Church should have more female representation, citing a pertinent distinction made by a Jesuit theologian.
Hans Urs von Balthasar referred to the so-called Petrine principle, contrasting the ministerial approach with the "Marian" or mystical methodology. Pope Francis underscored that Marian devotion is more crucial because the Church is female in nature.
"Unless we understand what a woman is, or the essence of a woman's theology, we will never truly comprehend the nature of the Church," says the Pope.
"One of the Grave Sins of the Church"
Pope Francis emphasized that all believers are called today to contribute to the Church's transformation. To fulfil this, it is necessary for more women to become theologians.
"One of the grave sins we are guilty of is the 'masculinization' of the Church," he said.
It should be clarified that masculinization, in this context, means "the process of increasing male participation and significance in a particular field in contrast to the participation of women". It is widely known that the Catholic Church has significantly more male than female representatives.
The Pope also referenced the imperative dialogue with the world of culture, and the need for "dedicating ourselves wholly, with all the energy of our hearts and minds to the missionary transformation of the Church". He is certain that an evangelizing theology, which facilitates dialogue with cultural spheres, is necessary.
