Filipina groups welcome pope’s anti-servitude stance

Filipina groups welcome pope’s anti-servitude stance

Two Catholic women’s organizations in the Philippines have welcomed remarks by Pope Francis in which he called on nuns to fight against unfair treatment by clergymen.

The Catholic Women’s League and the Catholic Nurses and Physicians Guild on Feb. 2 also said the pope’s message should not only be aimed at nuns but at all women serving in the Catholic Church.

“We believe that every woman, not just religious sisters, must fight oppression within the Catholic Church, especially if our preconceived role was to be servants of priests,” guild secretary Marites Gile told UCA News.

Gile said her group was inspired by Pope Francis’ words to fight oppressive conditions inside the Church that were sometimes perpetuated by clergymen.

“We are touched by Pope Francis’ words. For years, our [women’s] role in the Catholic Church was preconceived and defined by the Catholic hierarchy that is by nature patriarchal. But our role as women is far from taking care of priests in the parish. We can also participate in the decision-making processes of our own parish,” she said.

Gile was referring to women’s roles such as sweeping church floors, cooking for priests and paying bills in the parish.

For many years, we have felt that our role was to serve according to what and how the parish priest wanted us to serve

On Feb. 1, Pope Francis called on religious sisters and consecrated women to “fight” when treated unfairly by clergymen. He said some women were “reduced to servitude.”

“I invite them to fight when, in some cases, they are treated unfairly, even within the Church, when they serve so much that they are reduced to servitude — at times, by men of the Church,” said the pope in a video message to religious sisters and consecrated women in Rome to thank them for their work.

He said God’s presence was made known through the works of women in the Catholic Church.

“Do not be discouraged. May you keep making God’s goodness known through the apostolic works you do. But above all through your witness of consecration,” the pope added.

“Let us pray for religious sisters and consecrated women, thanking them for their mission and their courage. May they continue to find new responses to the challenges of our times.”

The Catholic Women’s League in the Philippines likewise thanked the pope for “reshaping” the role of women in the Church.

“For many years, we have felt that our role was to serve according to what and how the parish priest wanted us to serve. Service is important because our league’s motto is ‘charity, work and loyalty.’ But dignified and empowered service is different,” said one member who wished to remain anonymous.

The Catholic Women’s League is a religious organization dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus under the patronage of Mary founded in 1919 by then archbishop of Manila Michael O’ Doherty.

Among the objectives of the group is for its members to be a moral and religious influence on Philippine society.

From its beginning in Manila Archdiocese with nearly 200 members, the group has grown to more than 10,000 women members across the Philippines.