c. 2007 Religion News Service

(UNDATED) The recent joint Catholic-Orthodox statement that affirmed the primacy of the pope could signal a circling of the wagons around the shrinking influence of the churches of Rome and old Constantinople.

Unfortunately, it could also be another trumpet blast against women’s ordination.

But first, the big picture: The two sides essentially agreed that the pope in Rome has first place among other Eastern and Western bishops; this step seems a genuine attempt at healing the thousand-year-old split. Things were pretty much resolved twice before _ at ecumenical councils in the 13th and in the 15th centuries _ but the agreements did not stick.

The new joint statement avoids any managerial nitty-gritty. It says Rome occupied first place in the ancient church well before the Great Schism of 1054, but sidestepped what prerogatives the bishop of Rome had then or might have now.

For Catholic and Orthodox Christians, who already recognize each other’s sacraments and historic succession of bishops, the theological debates are essentially settled. Reunion may bolster Christianity’s global influence. The reunification of 1.1 billion Catholics and 225 million Orthodox could help efforts to fight the secularization of Europe and extend Christianity’s influence in Asia and Asia Minor. And Catholicism has one thing the Orthodox dearly need: money.

For Catholic and Orthodox women, meanwhile, there’s good news and bad news.

The good news is the Orthodox have a longer, stronger and accepted tradition of ordaining women as deacons. The bad news is Catholic objections to ordination of women as priests pale next to those of the Orthodox. With Catholic-Orthodox accord, the cause of Catholic women deacons might be strengthened, but the cause of Catholic women priests would be pushed farther back in the freezer.

Either way, both churches will continue to lose women.

Something has to give. When will the men _ East and West_ finally recognize that women are driving the churches’ influence, even as it declines? In each church, women have been the mainstays of both membership and ministry. As women affirm that they, like men, are made in the image and likeness of God, they are more and more disaffected by a church leadership that literally keeps them in the kitchen.

When Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone said last summer that more women would be appointed to Vatican government, he was throwing a bone to women who were already out the door. The highest-ranking woman in the Vatican is Sister Enrica Rosanna, who holds the No. 3 position in the congregation that oversees religious orders. Most of the other women who work at the Vatican are secretaries _ or housekeepers. Real church governance is restricted to ordained men.

On the outside, the shrinking cultural and political influence of Eastern and Western hierarchs has everything to do with their attitudes toward women. As they keep their ornate doors locked against feminine influence, mothers and sisters and daughters keep their own _ and their husbands’ _ checkbooks closed. Women join other (secular) organizations if they wish to live in service to humanity. And they don’t let their sons become priests.

Meanwhile, Rome and Constantinople find common cause. Rome studied women deacons and said it needed more study. The Orthodox Church of Greece voted years ago to restore the female diaconate, but has not yet done so. Bartholomew I, the spiritual leader of world Orthodoxy, says there’s nothing against women deacons, but has not ordained any. The traction against women deacons is not based on solid footing; it is based on being stuck in the mud.

Catholic and Orthodox prelates need to understand that if they want to be heard on the world stage, they must include women at every level of decision-making. They can begin by restoring their respective traditions of ordained women deacons, not by closing ranks against them.

(Phyllis Zagano is senior research associate-in-residence at Hofstra University and the author of several books in Catholic studies.)

A photo of Phyllis Zagano is available via https://religionnews.com.

KRE/PH END ZAGANO