The Pope’s funeral: where were the women?

What did the funeral of Pope Francis in Rome say to the world about today’s Catholic Church?  A Catholic Requiem Mass is almost always impressive; it holds grief within the formal framework of a profound and meaningful liturgy.  A pope’s funeral does much more.  A spectacular ceremony, the words, symbols, deep human emotions and messages, attract a global audience.  Where else and when do the world’s national and political leaders — except perhaps on this occasion Donald Trump — appear like respectful but unimportant spectators, awkward bystanders hoping a fraction of the crowd’s devotion might rub off on them?

At the most trivial level the Church’s farewell to a pope says that the Vatican is as good as Britain at creating a spectacular, memorable, newsworthy event. Even better, actually.  We really don’t need, pace Alastair Campbell,  mawkish labels like the “People’s Pope”.  The backdrop, St Peter’s Basilica and the beautiful square, take a lot of beating. They are made for that unique mixture of gravitas and solidarity that can bring silence to a crowd of a quarter million.

Pope Francis’s funeral was an unusual event for the Vatican, the grand assertion of hierarchy somewhat sabotaged by the memory of his life and his wishes for the ceremonies accompanying his death.  The plain coffin, the journey metaphorically across the tracks to Santa Maria Maggiore on the converted Popemobile, the homeless and vulnerable waiting to greet his body in death as he had greeted them in life, were fulfilling his instructions.  And in case anyone missed the message, Cardinal Re in his sermon delivered a faithful, fearless account of the late Pope’s priorities: respect for human dignity and the environment, caring for immigrants, “building bridges, not walls”, and “war is always a defeat for humanity”. These reminders drew applause from the crowds in Rome and doubtless also the watching millions at home.

The BBC did a good job.  Watching on TV, we had a proficient translator, though sadly not for the bidding prayers — no indication who was giving them either — and many must have been wondering if President Trump and other leaders would understand what Cardinal Re, who spoke in Italian, was saying. It was refreshing not to have any commentary for much of the time but, when it was needed, there was clear explanation for non-Catholic viewers.

And yet… and yet.  The view of the pall-bearers moving with dignity – one doing a little surreptitious puffing – and from high above inside the Basilica the two lines of Cardinals, captivating camera-work.   And when the Cardinals processed out of the Basilica it reminded me of the clergy at Westminster Cathedral processing for Cardinal Hume’s funeral in 1999.  Not a woman in sight.  It must have said to many of those watching: “The Catholic Church still doesn’t get it.”

One woman from the Vatican Press Office had brief prominence in the Mass, giving the first reading. Two others made very short appearances during  the bidding prayers.  No sign of any Women Religious (nuns), let alone the few women appointed to senior positions in Vatican departments.  We saw nuns in the square amongst the pious onlookers. Around the altar and in the square, all the front ranks were taken by men.

There are so many things that can be said about this absence of women that it is difficult to know where to start.  Worldwide there are some 640,000 nuns, thousands of whom  get up every day to work in development, peacemaking, health and education.  Nuns exemplify Francis’s message of service to humanity,  working for the poor and vulnerable around the world, often unseen, sometimes in very hazardous situations. I noticed one newspaper recently describing Cardinal Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster, as having led the Catholic movement against sexual trafficking. It was, of course, nuns who initiated this work, though Cardinal Nichols gave it warm approval and support.  But the nuns are somehow invisible.

The failure to acknowledge the role of women in the Catholic Church on such a public occasion as Pope Francis’ funeral suggests a systemic problem alongside sexual abuse – mentioned in Stephen Rand’s tribute to Pope Francis.  It overlooks the fact that, when it comes to the transmission of faith to the next generation, the heavy-lifting is done mostly by mothers, and in Africa, after the depredations of HIV,  sometimes grandmothers.  In the USA, Dorothy Day founded the Catholic worker communities.  In Britain CAFOD — the Catholic aid organization which at the international level most closely follows Francis’s vision of solidarity and  service — was set up by Catholic women in 1960.  In every parish the Saint Vincent de Paul Society, supporting those most in need, relies mainly on women volunteers. It was a woman, Mildred Nevile, who founded CIIR, the Catholic Institute for International Relations (later known as Progressio), that promoted the option for the poor around the world.

Official reasoning seems to be that the 12 apostles, appointed some 2,000 years ago in another culture, were all men and therefore, when it comes to who has authority and seniority in decision-making in the Church today, with a few exceptions introduced by Francis, women should be excluded.  Many, many hours have been spent discussing  whether there should even be women deacons.

Diversity and inclusion today are now widely seen as the key to increased creativity in organisations.  But the Church continues to exclude from most leadership positions, such as priesthood, the commitment, creativity and wisdom of the majority of Catholics, who happen to be women.  Meanwhile, the gradual transformation of women’s lives and roles outside the Church continues.

Religious patriarchy seems to be treated by Catholic leadership as an integral part of Catholic identity and faith.  But need not be.  It is part of an entrenched culture, a set of man-made rules that could be changed.  And, of course, organisational cultures are notoriously difficult to change.

Such change is not something that should be dealt with in “the perspective of eternity”, but with faith in the future “taking us deeper into the saving mystery of Christ” — Cardinal Nichols’ words, describing the dynamic sought from the next Pope, on the BBC last Sunday.  In this important regard, what the funeral of Pope Francis says is that the Church needs to catch up and to catch up fast.

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