The Meaning of Women in Society according to Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis

The Vatican published this document in support of dignity and the role of women, and does so through the careful and critical analysis of the Scripture, focusing on the necessity for collaboration of men and women in the world as well as the church. The letter first describes the church splendidly as an “expert in humanity. ” Further, it even likens the virtues displayed by women in the past decade to Virgin Mary’s specificity to genuineness and passion. The reflection that was conducted by Ratzinger starts with some of the causes that have led to the inadequate response to the question about women in the recent past. His emphasis on the subordination of women that leads to foster negative attitudes towards men and any initiatives that built to the desire to control and to hold dominion.

It is this union of an interpersonal relationship and communication that God manifests’ himself. This encourages both the feminine and masculine to be equally integrated into humanity. Original Sin was the cause that ruined the relationship that both man and woman had with their creator, and that is what affected the manner of living and consideration of each other’s gender differences. The breakdown of the human relationship with God is blamed on the enemy (the devil) who inhibits human yearning for God. Further, this is the same rhetoric that affects modern relationships in aspects of love respect, and equality between man and woman. In this way, Cardinal Ratzinger speaks of the importance of women in the society and church. This only further intensifies the support for understanding and respect of the woman.

There are specific characteristics that are taught to women and imparted when they belong to the Church, where they have an exemplary role model in Mary8 Halfway through the document, there is a particular type of feminist rhetoric that wants women to preserve their goodness. Here the reader notices that Cardinal Ratzinger's text was trying to disapprove male "abuse of power" and the ability of women to savour their integrity in an immoral world. The document was expected by analyst to provoke fierce debate about the attributes of women in the feminist rhetoric. Besides, in stating the differences in women and their uniqueness, the cardinal is speaking of the need to stop submerging women and giving those mediocre positions. Nevertheless, Ratzinger merges family and work characteristics that are different men ', this is written in the document which supports the valuing of the women in the society.

However, the Cardinal Ratzinger does not specify how the church and the community should achieve this. The other sections of the letter cover what the whole document is essentially under subtopics that mainly relate to the women topic. One part is headed "The Importance of Feminine Values in the Life of Society” (Part III)11; while another is headed, "The Importance of Feminine Values in the Life of the Church. This text aims to highlight the perception that both Pope Francis and Pope Benedict XVI has on the role of women in the church as well as the society. Pope Benedict XVI When one asks about Pope Benedict XVI’sperspective on women, a passionate reaction raises from all ends. His position on this matter, nevertheless, exceeds the predictable substitutes of conservative and liberal.

This is why it carries so much more weight in the debate. His predecessor; Pope John Paul II had dedicated most of his papal duties and writings to changing and improving the perception of the church and society on women. However, these reflections of the female condition in the church came while man’s image still overshadowed woman’s that is the husband, brother, and father. This was a significant time in the view of the church and society as it helped in recognition of the existence of the women question in the “Magisterium. ”17 The sheer acknowledgement of the worth of the women and their importance in social and civic life was embodied by Pope Benedict XVI as he seemed to be carrying on the mantle on the agenda and continuing on this path, by showing absolute respect for life and profound love.

According to Pope Benedict, there should be a relationship that allows for cooperation among men and women allowing for respect. Another point that the Holy Father firmly asserts is the need for equality and brotherly love among all people to overcome individualism. The Holy Father’s document, the unification of man offered by God proposes a probability of self-respect that the Biblical woman, Mary, Mother of God represents incomplete terms. Therefore it is not possible for one to achieve God’s likeness without this privileged connection with the Messiah20 God gifted women with the ability to nurture that which is entrusted to all humanity, and only in the Spirit of Christ is she able to make a gift of herself to others and rediscover the true nature of her womanhood, of her own identity.

The woman who is mother or virgin, spouse or consecrated, in her workplace, in her family, and in society is the woman who, in all her character deserves gratitude. “For perfect women and for weak women for all women as they have come forth from the heart of God in all the beauty and richness of their femininity; as they have been embraced by his eternal love; as, together with men, they are pilgrims on this earth, which is the temporal 'homeland' of all people and is sometimes transformed into a valley of tears; as they assume, together with men, a collective responsibility for the destiny of humanity according to daily necessities and according to that definitive destiny which the human family has in God himself, in the bosom of the ineffable Trinity.

The Church under expresses appreciation for the exhibitions that the John Paul II defined it as the "feminine genius," that over the years of Pope Benedict’s papacy has been instrumental in the roles of people, countries, and for the various bounties of “feminine holiness. On the other hand, the Pope proved them wrong a few times in progress that is evident in data that has emerged about the flourishing of humans. The pope wrote that the real progress made by humanity enables love. Further, the Holy Father states that this does not only refer to family and friends but collectively to all personal circles. This is because it is what we have all been called to do in this world. What’s more, it applies to all people at the start of their lives.

The talk of human rights has, however, become more attached to people internationally and domestically offering recognition for the new forms of marriage, destroying the society’s honour for human life, and depleting the sense of human sexuality. This is a notion that is believed to be imposed on developing nations by other wealthier countries that are more civilized. Causing significant effect on women and their plight for equality in the society Hence, Benedict XVI has strengthened the theological and rational foundations for Catholics’ going forward on these and other critical modern questions (women, Gay rights, and abortion). The incoming pope will have disposal immense spiritual and intellectual resources for grappling personally with recent times thanks in particular to both John Paul II and Benedict XVI. Benedict XVI seems to be telling us by the circumstances of his early departure that the next pope will need all of these, and everything else that a gifted man can bring to the table.

Otherwise, how can one wholly claim to love God with all his soul if they are judgmental? Non -believers are live and think “veluti si Deus return,” than us as believers are called to act in ways that show reason in our faith. There is an area that is reserved for women in history that have cherished the bond of reason, relationship, and sentiment27. Above everything else, women are as believers are called to live in a way that exemplifies their faith. “Divini Amoris Scientia,” that favours theology making it theophany and Christology to Christophany. After Jesus arose, he led Mary Magdalene on the way to Pascal love Pope Francis Perspective On Women On November 2015, while on his inaugural visit to Africa, Pope Francis spoke to a crowd gathered in Nairobi, Kenya in one of the slums the pope said that he was there to show that the people's joy, hopes, troubles, and sorrow were not very indifferent to him.

Most people were keen to note that although he had an intention to promote and include women, he caused a lot of worry with some of his statements about them. Some of the people commented and said that when he spoke the pope represented an old Argentine churchman. This is because he tends to use some condescending tone that sounds disdainful even if he has good intentions. After the new appointments at the International Theological Commission, it was encouraging to note that five of the members were women. The Pope proceeded to express his respect for the women and their plight by stating that “they are strawberries on a cake, but there is a need for more. This is because when Francis mentions “feminine genius” it is clear that the meaning of these terms is not known both to him and the society.

Evidently, it is indistinct that the pope cares about the women although he does not state why they are important or what their value is. The second problem is that women cannot and should not be defined. Even when the bishop of Rome speaks of the need for women, their place in the church and society his efforts are often misunderstood. The whole underlying issue is the way the society has grown think of women as an ‘issue,’ ‘problem’ or even a ‘mystery. Another quote by Pope Francis that needs more positive attention is “Why is it taken for granted that women must earn less than men? No! They have the same rights. The discrepancy is a pure scandal. ” He has also stated before that Catholics must strive to seek equal pay.

This is among the major challenges that women face in the society. The pope recognizes this as a problem that even affects the church laity. “The role of women in the church must not be limited to being mothers, workers, a limited role. No! It is something else,”31 Francis said. As the Holy Father struggled with the expression of this thought, he commended the women in Paraguay who build their country after a shocking conflict that had killed and injured most of the population. This is seen as a more secular example of the courage exhibited by women in the world. Further, the pope says that despite all the progress women have made in minor church roles such as readings; Caritas and altar servers’ show that they can handle more responsibility.

Finally, when women are esteemed their true worth becomes clear, and it surpasses all male chain of command. Pope Francis is seen to be expressing his sensitivity towards the situation other than an enunciated position. The pope accords respect to women, and that can be likened to his reverence for Mary and how he honours the church. It may seem as if this is what overtakes his ability to express what he means. Although, the Holy Father speaks influentially and from a sincere desire to change the current state and perception of women. Finally, the pope stresses that when priestly ordination is appropriately understood ladies abilities can be shared with the church. Further, it is possible for women to participate in making necessary church decisions. The ability to bring out the idea that baptism is more critical than ordination.

In most instances, Pope Francis is seen to be expressing his sensitivity towards the situation other than an enunciated position. The pope accords respect to women that can be likened to his reverence for Mary and how he honours the church. Ultimately, the pope asserts that when priestly ordination is appropriately understood ladies abilities can be shared with the church and society. Besides, it is possible for women to participate in making influential societal decisions. For instance, the ability to bring out the idea that baptism is more critical than ordination. The Pope stresses that when priestly ordination is correctly understood that the gifts of the Holy Spirit bestowed upon women should be shared with the religious. As the pope recently stated while speaking to Bolivians that, “people that forget their past and their historical roots have no future”; therefore the church makes an option to watch over those who are today discarded and to preserve their precious culture.

“Although he has introduced some new people into the Vatican government to carry out his vision for the Church, for the most part, he must work with the singular community that he inherited,” 42 However, it is believed that the pope’s pastoral remarks and advice may succeed in unsettling the opinions of those that are entrenched in considering the moral questions carefully. This is because this was the effect that the Annunciation on the authorization of the forgiveness of abortion by Roman Catholic priests. Mainly because the liberals that disputed mercy proposed there was the sin, to begin with, while the conservatives prickled at that transformation. “He is repurposing the teachings of the church in a way that surprises us … and he is upsetting the left and right in different ways,” 43Chad Pecknold While he does not entirely walk out of the liberal traditions in theology trade, the pope has been more open to fostering some changes to facilitate the church in efficiently evangelizing the gospel to the modern world.

For instance, the pope has been in contact with leaders in liberation theology such as Leonardo Boff who is a theologian from Brazil that was in past years, silenced by then-Cardinal Ratzinger. The modern forms of technology have improved and enabled the mainstream culture of destruction. Traditionally, pagan societies in biblical times were taught on the inferiority of women by nature. Even in the Roman Empire before Christianity women were considered to be personal possessions to male members of the family. This is in pure contrast to the church’s teaching on women’s value and worth that shows the equality in the marriage of the father and mother that should both be equally obeyed by their children. Leviticus 19:3). For instance, Pope Benedict XVI was once quoted saying. “Those ‘strong women’ who, at the end of the Middle Ages, fearlessly bore the high light of the Gospel in the complex events of history….

We could liken them to the holy women who stayed on Calvary, close to Crucified Jesus and Mary, his Mother, while the Apostles had fled and Peter himself had denied Him three times. ” Although, in his time he was not the first pope to say these things he was evidently the first to action them. These acts are however often forgotten by people who think of themselves as brave and some feminist that succumb to male-dominated atheist philosophies. I would like to encourage the millions of women in secular schools subjected to this sort of propaganda to read the teachings of Pope Benedict XVI on the women of the church. Once one recognizes the profound effect of the pope's documents they realize that he was not "patriarchal" Pope. Some of The Changes Brought About By Pope Francis Positive Perspectives On Women While the barring of women from the priesthood and therefore papacy by extension is deeply rooted in traditions and dates back to thousands of years, in theory, the new pope (Pope Francis) could change this rule during his time in the Vatican.

This is because while any man can become the pope, it is different for women. This view was held by the Cardinals as they entered the Sistine Chapel for the conference, on March 12 as they elected the new pope after Pope Benedict XVI resigned. In recent times nonetheless, the church faithful proceeded to rebuke a Leadership Conference of Women’s Religious that was not strong enough to fervently condemn these ideals. Theologians and most Catholics like me are of the school of thought that the reasons used to deter women from these positions do not hold water. Just because Jesus had 12 apostles that were male and fishermen does not mean that everyone who follows Christ has to be a fisherman or a man. Moreover, this can be refuted because Jesus had other women beside him that played equally significant roles in spreading the gospel.

However, because this notion of women is backed by official church doctrine, changing it would possibly take a long troublesome process. The comments of the pope on gender differences are expected to evoke strong backlash from the Catholic Church pro-life forces, which recently conveyed their increasing concern about the new direction for the Academy for Life, set by Francis. There were concerns that the pope was moving away from the traditional centre of the pro-life message. From his first days in office, the pope has often criticized the gender and the theories that treat differences between genders as socially constructed and elective and not something that is biologically determined According to the Holy Father, the “recently introduced hypothesis” of encouraging dignity of a person by radically neutralizing the sexual differences between men and women is “not fair.

” In place of the differing negative interpretation of sexual differences, Francis disputed, the hypothesis’s efforts to “cancel these differences by default,” He instead proposed practices that are immaterial to the “growth of the person and human associations. “Yet the utopia of ‘neutral’ remove at the same time both the human dignity of the various sexual constitution and the personal quality of the generative transmission of life,” he said. ” They must talk and become allies, because “neither of the two, nor man alone nor woman alone,” is capable of guaranteeing that human co-existence is done in the light of the “love of God for every creature. ” While tensions in the Church over women have been a constant in Catholic life for a long time, recent signs suggest a turning point may be looming, with conferences, assemblies, and media outlets both within and outside the Vatican speaking up in a new way about perceived injustices.

Women meeting at a Voices of Faith conference this week in Rome, for instance, are say that the “Church is at critical crossroads,” while the editor of a Vatican magazine focusing on women says she sees an “internal cultural revolution” brewing. At the same time, a general assembly of bishops from Latin America taking place inside the Vatican walls has invited forty women to take part in a conversation on the female role in the Church, amounting to more recognition that as a subject can’t be avoided. Although these female perspectives may differ in tone and focus, one common thread that emerges is that Times has changed'. A nun identified only as Sister Marie, for instance, describes how sisters serve clergy but “are rarely invited to sit at the tables they serve.

” The subject of women in the Church has existed for a long time. In recent years due to the pope’s recognition and readiness to address the issue, the nuns have become less passive and more aware of what’s going on, and they are slowly beginning to ask for change. Interestingly these are not just issues that provoke action from the young nuns but also older generations of nuns. Concerns don’t only interest young women, who’ve had a different generational formation and experience of life, but also older sisters. “The silent complacency is ending, and priests are not even aware of it,” Scaraffia said. “They don’t know that everything is about to blow up in their hands. “When it comes to Francis’s role in increasing the participation of women in the Church, opinions vary from hope to disappointment.

She praised the pope’s openness to dialogue and expressed optimism toward Francis’s concern for further female inclusion. “I continue to hope that the pope will listen and provide leadership to overcome the Church’s outdated fear of women,” 50 she said. They shouldn’t be looked at as just collaborators of the clergy but as people that have a co-responsibility for the Church’s well-being and advancement. Hence it is essential to look for a consolidated laity that can specifically contribute to the ecclesial mission regarding the ministry and tasks that each one has in the life of the Church and always in cordial communion with the bishops”. Pope Benedict XVI expresses the difficulty the Church is facing regarding the interaction of clergy and laity. “The laity is not only collaborators of the clergy: they hold co-responsibility for the education and mission of the Church.

What holds for the laity as such applies equally to laywomen. ”54 Although it is still somehow early in his papacy, my opinion of the Pope is that he has worked hard with both the church and the society to assist women. He has also opened up the church politically, and theologically. He is also committed to helping the poor. One may wonder how the pope can manage to be infectiously pastoral and theologically orthodox gracefully. It is admirable that the pope is both compassionate to the poor and politically reserved. They both referred to Pope John Paul a predecessor that had a lot of influence in the invitation of change in the Catholic Church and society. What’s more, they have both tried despite experiencing challenges to implement on changes in the Church while encouraging the community.

Both Popes have also played a significant role in impacting the economic, political, social and cultural trends to the modern world. Also, they have ushered the church into the modern world ready to change to accommodate more of the world. Besides, they had a similar social doctrine that facilitates some form of continuity. London: Oxford University Press. Exodus: 3-6 The New English Bible 2009London: Oxford University Press. Corinthians: 11-9 "The Letter to Women from Blessed John Paul II", 1995 Laici. Va. laici. Available at: https://books. google. co. ke/books?id=pVvADAAAQBAJ&pg=PT69&dq=pope+francis+Evangeli+gradium+on+women&hl [Accessed 13 Mar. Pope Francis. and Higgins, M. Vatican II: A Universal Call to Holiness. Ebook] New York: Paulist Press. Available at: https://books. google. Vatican. Va. vatican. va/content/benedict-xvi/en/encyclicals/documents/hf_ben-xvi_enc_20051225_deus-caritas-est.

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