Posted on 01/19/2021 4:38:47 PM PST by ebb tide
Just a family joke at first, a French female theologian's declared candidacy to become Archbishop of Lyon has furthered debate on the place of women in Church governance
Anne Soupa remembers it like yesterday.
It was May 21, 2020, a day promised to be happy and peaceful. The first coronavirus lockdown in France had been lifted only ten days earlier and the spring weather on this Ascension Thursday made the Alpine peaks shine.
In the family chalet, everyone was getting restless.
Anne, who is a Catholic theologian, and her husband had arrived the previous day. They were taking over the house from their son and his family who had stayed at the mountain haven during the weeks of lockdown.
But a curious idea surfaced during a conversation that day, which would turn everything upside down.
While the family was enjoying lunch together, they engaged in a lively discussion about the Church, as usual.
And Anne once again complained that the bishops were only interested in returning to publicly celebrating Mass, which were still forbidden until June 2.
"I'd rather see them put on a white coat and visit the sick in hospitals!" she exclaimed.
Everyone in the family was used to her "grumbling" against the Church. But even before she became an activist, Soupa was a fervent, practicing Catholic with great passion for Bible studies.
"Why don't you take their place?" her son burst out.
He wasn't joking.
"Yes, why not?" Anne thought.
"The idea slowly progressed. We had to finish the meal and take advantage of the good weather," she recalled.
Her husband probably shrugged his shoulders when he heard this curious remark.
"But the idea never left me. I had to pursue it; I would have been mad at myself for missing it," Anne continued.
Plus, the call had come from someone else, from this no-holds-barred son who had said nothing more than, "present yourself!"
"That became a matter between me and myself," Anne said.
"I had the freedom to accept or not. It was a very strong feeling, one that comes only two or three times in a life," she pointed out.
Soupa had already been one of the co-founder in 2008 of the "Committee of the Skirt". It was in reaction to what many took as a sexist remark made by Cardinal André Vingt-Trois, then archbishop of Paris.
What would friends say? Anne wondered.
She telephoned those closest to her.
"With some hesitation in my voice, I began by bringing up the position in Lyon, which was vacant...".
Indeed, the archdiocese needed a new bishop.
The future candidate could not have chosen a more important post in Church. But currently one must first be a priest before qualifying to be a bishop. And in the Catholic Church that means one must be a male.
Nonetheless, Soupa was preparing a true "profession of faith" for the apostolic nuncio, the pope's "ambassador" to France who prepares the episcopal appointments.
At 73 years of age, she was of canonical age, knew the workings of the Church, knew how to manage a team and so forth.
"The candidacy was becoming more and more likely," she remarked, saying she was still astonished.
On May 25, barely four days after the family luncheon, it took only a click of the mouse and her email was sent to the nuncio and the AFP news agency.
She heard not a peep from the nunciature.
But there was a great buzz of excitement in the media.
A woman with a mitre on her head and a crosier in her hand is a great story for journalists!
More than that, the candidacy of a woman for one of the most prestigious posts in the French Church of France (Archbishop of Lyon and Primate of the Gauls) aroused sincere interest.
"Once the microphones were turned off, several journalists confided that they did not understand the rigor of the Church, that they regretted not having had their child baptized, etc." Soupa recalled.
But not all the reactions were not so warm. As an emblematic figure of the small place accorded to women in the Church, Soupa was also publicly scorned and insulted on social media.
"I know the legitimacy of Catholics," she said
Beyond the novelty of it all, she wanted her candidacy to be taken seriously, which raised a lively debate within the Church.
To those who applauded the clever media coup, Soupa offered a real set of reforms that would give the laity their rightful place.
She saw herself as archbishop of Lyon, even without becoming, but acceding -- why not? -- to the dignity of cardinal, and therefore, consequently, to the election of the pope.
But it was a lost cause: a new archbishop was appointed in October.
"However, if Pope Francis wants to receive me and appoint me to another diocese, why not? I remain a candidate," Soupa said with all sincerity.
Her detractors have argued that one does not apply to become a bishop; rather, he is "called".
Yet, Anne Soupa points out that in the early Church, the bishop could be elected by the community.
She despairs especially of the "small steps" that hardly give women the place they deserve.
After the last papal election, she wrote about her hopes for the new Argentine pope in a 2014 book called, François, la divine surprise (Francis, the Divine Surprise).
"Seven years later, nothing has changed," she lamented.
Soupa's parish priest has not changed either. But it seems he appreciates the seriousness and courage of her approach.
"We still have the desire to take a step towards each other," she said about her discussions with the cleric.
Then the female theologian detailed her episcopal program in a book titled, Pour l'amour de Dieu (For the Love of God).
Beyond her sudden rise to celebrity status, Soupa continues to have a deep desire to serve the Church she loves without limits.
"In fact, I believe that I would make a pretty good bishop," she added with a smile.
Barf Alert Ping
Hold on - Hold on while I get my barf bag.
It’s amazing how much good you can do when you don’t care who gets the credit.
No sane person wants to be a bishop.
Such a disgusting attention addict.
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