So how to solve the clericalism/curialism problem bedeviling Rome? More women!
A month ago, the pope’s own daily published an article by Lucetta Scaraffia arguing that “una maggiore presenza femminile” would have “ripped the veil of masculine omert
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à that has covered with silence the denunciation of misdeeds.” Yep. And last week, Lisa Miller’s cover story in Newsweek, “A Woman’s Place Is in the Church,” advocated breaking up “the all-male club” that runs the Church on the grounds that “insular groups of men often do bad things.”
I’m down with that. So here’s a modest proposal. Pope Benedict should name a bunch of women as cardinals. Cardinals don’t have to be priests. Originally–as in up to the middle of the eleventh century–they were just the folks who happened to be in charge of running things in Rome’s churches. And make no mistake about it. There are plenty of women running things in Catholic churches all around the world. Bear in mind that cardinals don’t have to be priests. (The earliest group included deacons.) The point is that there’s no theological justification for restricting the job to men. If Benedict wants to rescue his papacy and establish his place in pontifical history, it’s definitely the way to go.
This is, I hasten to say, not an original idea with me. A few years ago, the Jesuit father who directs German language programming for Vatican radio looked forward to the day when half the cardinals who chose the next pope would be women. Now that would seriously shake up the old boys’ club. Picture the bishops and monsignori and papabili having to kowtow to le cardinale. Of course, it might also lead to, shh!, female and non-celibate priests. Put women in positions of authority and you never know WTF will happen.
Retractatio and clarificatio: My former colleague, the distinguished church historian Sr. Patricia Byrne, has kindly pointed out to me that, according to current canon law, cardinals do too have to be priests; and that if a non-bishop is named, he needs to be promoted asap; and that those who are to be cardinals are referred to, in Latin, as viri not homines, which is to say, male persons (relevant texts after the jump). That said, no one claims that the cardinalate was created other than by human beings to do the work of the Church. Canon law, of course, is always subject to change. Thanks, Pat.
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Cardinals
Code of Canon Law, 1917
CAPUT III.
De Sanctae Romanae Ecclesiae Cardinalibus.
Can. 230. S.R.E. Cardinales Senatum
Romani Pontificis constituunt eidemque in regenda Ecclesia praecipui consiliarii
et adiutores assistunt.
Can. 231. par. 1. Sacrum Collegium in tres ordines distribuitur: episcopalem, ad quem soli pertinent sex Cardinales dioecesibus suburbicariis praepositi; presbyteralem, qui constat Cardinalibus quinquaginta; diaconalem, qui quatuordecim.
[. . .]
Can. 232. par. 1. Cardinales libere
a Romano Pontifice ex toto terrarum orbe eliguntur, viri, saltem in
ordine presbyteratus constituti, doctrina, pietate ac rerum agendarum prudentia
egregie praestantes. __________________________________
Code of Canon Law, 1983
Can. 351 §1 Those to be promoted Cardinals are men
freely selected by the Roman Pontiff, who are at least in the order of
priesthood and are truly outstanding in doctrine, virtue, piety and prudence
in practical matters; those who are not already Bishops must receive
episcopal consecration [except by dispensation, i.e., Cardinals DeLubac,
Congar, Dulles . . .]
