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At their June meeting in St Louis, the Bishops' Committee on Women (BCOW) intends to propose writing another "pastoral" -- this one on collaboration between women and clergy.
Following is an excerpt from the US Conference of Catholic Bishops' (USCCB) "Women" pages -- the beginning of an extensive report results of 2001 "consultation". ("Consultations" with appropriate women have been going on since 1999.)
As before, with other "pastorals" on women, "collaboration" with clergy includes proper formation of seminarians, feminist language, etc.
http://www.usccb.org/laity/women/report.shtml
Introduction
On March 11-13, 2001 the Bishops' Committee on Women in Society and in the Church convened a first-ever gathering of women who hold diocesan leadership positions. The gathering fulfilled a commitment made by our predecessor Committee in its 1998 statement, From Words to Deeds. In that statement, the Committee pledged to educate itself about the needs and concerns of women and how their gifts could be incorporated into church life. It also promised to explore how women could be prepared for new and existing leadership roles in the church.
In the spirit of From Words to Deeds, this Committee, chaired by Archbishop John Vlazny, sought to translate a commitment into action. First, the Committee conducted a survey of women who hold high-level diocesan positions to hear their experiences as a woman in diocesan leadership. A report on the survey was sent to all bishops earlier this year.
The Committee then convened the consultation and set forth two goals. First, the Committee wanted to hear and critically reflect upon the experiences of women who influence diocesan decision-making. We hoped to obtain important information about how to enhance the participation of women in church governance. Second, we wanted to obtain the participants' perspectives on several issues (e.g., evangelization of young adults, justice in the workplace) where women's experience and expertise is especially needed.
For two days we listened as representatives from more than 120 dioceses discussed their experiences as women in church leadership. Although we offered some initial comments during the consultation, we wanted time to ponder what the women had told us. Now, in this report, we offer further reflections to our brother bishops and to all church leaders. Along with preceding Women's Committees, we stress the continuing priority of women's gifts and leadership. We hope that this consultation and its aftermath will lead to a more effective voice for women in church decision-making.
Part I of this report identifies the major themes that arose during the consultation. In Part II we offer suggestions for follow-up at the national and diocesan levels, drawing on recommendations made during the consultation. We also include two appendices. Appendix A describes the context for the consultation, including key bishops' statements, and gives more details about the consultation itself. Appendix B lists specific recommendations that emerged from the breakout sessions, which were a significant part of the consultation.
Part I
What We Learned - Major Themes and Issues
The consultation surfaced numerous issues and concerns, but several recurred during the plenary sessions, breakout groups, and in informal conversations. We wish to highlight several of particular significance.
1. Collaboration, especially between women and clergy. Collaboration had emerged as a major concern in the survey of diocesan women leaders. The consultation affirmed its importance. In the surveys, most women rated their experience of collaboration as good to excellent, although their written and oral comments gave a more nuanced picture. In the area of collaboration women raised these concerns:
a. Different understandings of what collaboration means. The women generally defined "collaboration" as the opportunity for genuine input into decision-making processes. Sometimes, however, they experience collaboration more as surface cooperation or consultation. This lack of consistency about what constitutes collaboration can be frustrating.
b. Exclusion of women from decision-making processes. Diocesan decision-making structures sometimes exclude women. Some women said that decisions had been made in their areas of responsibility without their
knowledge or input.c. Ability and willingness of priests, especially the newly ordained, to work with women. This was a major issue throughout the consultation. Participants felt that a significant number of newly ordained priests are
not prepared to work with women as colleagues in ministry. Some had experienced a lack of respect. Others said that some newly ordained priests show an excessive concern for power and authority; some cannot accept women as their supervisors. Participants expressed concern about the psycho-sexual development of newly ordained priests, especially as it affects their ability to relate to women.
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