Women criticize Vatican document on feminism

ABS/CBN ^ | Jul. 31, 2004

[John Lenin]

Women criticize Vatican document on feminism

VATICAN CITY - Women have reacted with anger and amusement to a Vatican document on feminism, with some saying the Catholic Church is run by men who live in a time warp and want to keep women in their place.

The document, issued Saturday, said modern feminism's fight for power and gender equality was undermining the traditional concept of family and creating a climate where gay marriages are seen as acceptable.

Frances Kissling, president of the U.S.-based Catholics for a Free Choice, said she thought she had "passed through a time warp" when she read the document.

"I thought for sure I was the 1960s and Archie Bunker had been appointed theologian to the Pope," she said, referring to the character in an old American TV series whose bigoted views included opposition to any form of women's rights.

In a 37-page document "On the Collaboration of Men and Women in the Church and in the World," the Vatican said women should be respected and have equal rights in the workplace, but differences between the sexes must be recognized and exalted.

The document, which re-stated Catholic Church positions, including the ban on female priests, said that many women felt they had to be "adversaries of men" in order to be themselves.

It criticized feminism's attempt to erase gender differences, saying it had inspired ideologies questioning the traditional family structure of a mother and a father and making homosexuality and heterosexuality virtually equivalent.

"Such observations could only be made by men who have no significant relationships with women and no knowledge of the enormous positive changes the women's rights movement has meant for both men and women," Kissling said.

Yesterday’s world

Emma Bonino, a former European commissioner and current member of the European parliament, said the Vatican was writing about a world that she said no longer exists.

"This letter could easily have been written by an imam of al-Azhar," she said referring to Sunni Islam's most respected institution of religious learning in Cairo.

"To be fair to the Catholic Church, no religion is a great friend of women," she told the Corriere della Sera newspaper. "They pay you a lot of compliments but when push comes to shove they ask you to stay in your place: wife, nurse, mother and grandmother."

The document said that although motherhood is a "key element of women's identity," women should not be considered from the sole perspective of procreation.

It said women who choose to be full-time mothers should not be stigmatized and it appealed to governments to make it easier for mothers to hold outside jobs without "relinquishing their family life."

Some women suggested that the Vatican was taking a patronizing attitude that it would not take toward men.

"Everyone knows that men and women are different and the feminist movement has always held this view," said Chiara Saraceno, a professor of sociology at the University of Turin.

"What continues to shock me is this teaching attitude that is always directed at women and never at men," she told the leftist newspaper L'Unita.

[John Lenin]

Don't be a metrosexual.
Say no to radical feminism.

[jwalburg]

It's as if they didn't notice this part: "women should be respected and have equal rights in the workplace, but ..."

[nmh]

I'm not Catholic nor have I read the statement by the Vatican however radical feminism has cheapened and destroyed what makes women different than men.

In the old days it used to be an insult to ridicule a mother by saying "your mother wears army boots". Unfortunately that is now considered a complement. A complement to have women defend us! How sad. Even the military will admit that physicals standards are lowered to accommodate this fantasy of equality. Having women side by side in close quarters has lead to promiscuity and surprise pregnancies through affairs.

Radical feminism has proven to be disastrous to those who are still able to see and think clearly.

[nmh]

"In a 37-page document "On the Collaboration of Men and Women in the Church and in the World," the Vatican said women should be respected and have equal rights in the workplace, but differences between the sexes must be recognized and exalted."

Agree with qualifications such as NO combat duty.

[TheCrusader]

Frances Kissling, president of the U.S.-based Catholics for a Free Choice, said she thought she had "passed through a time warp" when she read the document."

Feminism will pass away soon enough, because it's done nothing but cause harm to men, women and families. I think Ms Frances Kissling will be surprised on that day of Judgement, when she gets her first glimpse of the eternal 'time warp' our God exists in. 'Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever'" (Hebrews 13:8)

[John Lenin]

The truth is coming out about lesbians and the feminist movement.

[jwalburg]

I'm not sure that just because something causes harm it disappears soon. Wish it worked that way. I also wish I could see some sign that women were rejecting it.

[Choose Ye This Day]

So, is GOD stuck in a time warp?

Why should the Church have to change its doctrines and practices to suit the whims of its imperfect members?

[John Lenin]

The teachings of the church have outlived every great society known to man and will survive the latest attempt by the deviants to destroy it.

[Carry_Okie]

The truth is coming out about lesbians and the feminist movement.

The truth has been "coming out" for seventy years ever since Gramsci stated outright that the key to bringing about communism was the incremental destruction of the family. Before that, the suffrage movement was led by dedicated socialists. It was his followers in Fromm and Maslow who brought that philosophy to America.

I don't see an end to it in sight.

[Mike1973]

Feminism is on its way out. For the simply fact that there is really nothing left to fight for. Sure there will always be people who feel persecuated, but they are nutcases and would feel persecuated no matter what the situation.

[Askel5]

What a horrifying picture.


=== and no knowledge of the enormous positive changes the women's rights movement has meant for both men and women,

I wish she'd mentioned a couple. Then I'd know too.

[Mo1]

It's as if they didn't notice this part: "women should be respected and have equal rights in the workplace, but ..."

They read it .. but it didn't fit their agenda so they skipped over it

[John Lenin]

"This letter could easily have been written by an imam of al-Azhar," she said referring to Sunni Islam's most respected institution of religious learning in Cairo.

But she donated to Hamas in 2001 ...

[NurdlyPeon]

Typical feminist nonsense. Naturally, they had to work the word "bigoted" into the article. Then they had to say that the observations could only be made by men who have no significant relationship with women, as if these bitter, dried-up old lesbian prunes have any significant relationship with men. When attacked, the feminists always fall back on their old "all we want is equal pay for equal work argument". They never want to acknowledge that a hell of a lot more men support women than vise versa. They never seem to acknowledge that men are biologically programmed for this arrangement. Or that most women would prefer to stay at home and have a man support them. Or that maybe, just maybe, our society functions the way it does as a result of generations and generations of trial and error. If all this 'working mom' stuff works so well, why is it that virtually everyone agrees that kids today are so much worse off in terms of their upbringing, self esteems, respect for others, gangs, drugs, suicide rate, etc. etc. etc. Could it be that it's because there just aren't enough moms staying at home to do the job full time, teaching the kids to be ladies and gentlemen? Could it be that the feminist movement just wants women to have all the advantages of being 'women' (when it suits their best interests), and then all the advantages of being 'people' (when it suits their best interests). No wonder the feminist movements is so closely aligned with the Democratic movement. Like the democrats, they flip-flop, saying whatever 'sounds good', with no consistency, and no connection to reality. That's probably why the feminists are so bitter and hate-filled (like the democrats). The women I know that are the most happy are the one that accept that being a woman (like being a man) has it's advantages and disadvantages, and that that is just life. Like the democrats, they whine and complain because the world does not work according to their idealized version of reality that they pulled out of thin air (or fat ass). There is ALWAYS going to be advantages and disadvantages to being a man or being a woman. That is a strength, not a weakness. The civilizing and moralizing function of "ladies" is being lost, and the results of their "grey" version of the world can already be seen in the deteriorating social structure of our society.

[John Lenin]

Liberalism has a way of turning everything into the lowest common denominator.

[Orlando]

I agree, but let's not forget that loca Ms. Heinz-Kerry still support and funds radical feminists(anti-fathers) groups, for example:

http://www.heinzawards.net/speechDetail.asp?speechID=57

Ms. Jensen of ACES (Heinz funded)had to resign recently, because she was stealing money, and other reasons. These groups are very dangerous to ALL Males of ALL colors and ages. Children's need loving fathers in there lives, but hate groups like this lobby the legislature because they have the funds and time to lobby and pay them off. Here's a little BIO on Ms. Heinz friend(Ms. Jensen)

http://christianparty.net/jensen.htm


Thanks to HEINZ and company, 70%+ of the minority fathers are missing,dead,and in jail. This is why, it's important to listen to the Rev. Peterson of BOND.

http://www.bondinfo.org

vet out

[saradippity]

Radical feminism has proven to be disastrous to those who can still see and think clearly.

How fortunate that so few people can still see and think clearly. It allows so many to keep a positive attitude and just bubble over with self esteem. i guess we owe the NEA and Jimmy Carter,who created the Department of Education a great big thankyou for succeeding in dumbing down Americans.

[Odyssey-x]

Women(TM) criticize Vatican document on feminism.

[AnimalLover]

Another Must Read!