Mónica Santamarina is the general president of the World Union of Catholic Women's Organizations and its World Observatory of Women. Her professional experience allows her to see very closely the reality of many women in the world, also within the Church. For this reason, in this interview she analyzes the progress made during the Pontificate of Francis for greater inclusion of women. At the same time, she proposes measures that will help to continue improving in this aspect.
How do you feel Pope Francis has addressed the role of women in the Church compared to his predecessors? What have been the most significant advances during his pontificate?
- in the St. John Paul IIas Benedict XVIThe Pope, especially the first one, spoke and promoted through his magisterium the relevant role of women in the Church and the importance of fully assuming it. But it has definitely been Pope Francis who has addressed it with much more strength, clarity and openness, giving the issue greater relevance.
The first thing to point out is the importance of the apostolic constitution ".Praedicate Evangelium"(2022), where it is specified that everyone can lead a Dicastery, which includes lay men and women, who can be appointed to carry out functions of governance and responsibility of the Roman Curia. It is from here that we really begin to see a greater presence of lay people and women in positions of responsibility in the Church.
In addition to the above, what has given even greater force to the Holy Father's speech has been:
- His full and evident conviction of all that women can and should contribute to the Church, including their leadership and participation in decision-making, according to their own vocation, charisms and ministries and with the clear limits of what corresponds exclusively to the priesthood.
- The witness he has given by placing women in key positions in the Dicasteries and other bodies of the Roman Curia.
- The inclusion of women in the last Synodal Assembly, many of them with voice and vote.
Pope Francis has spoken about the importance of greater female participation in decision-making within the Church. How do you assess concrete progress in this regard, especially with regard to positions of leadership and responsibility?
- Faithful to his discourse and his conviction of the capacity and co-responsibility of women in a missionary synodal Church, Pope Francis began by placing women in some of the most important positions in various dicasteries and other Church bodies historically entrusted to men.
Thus we have today 3 women as members of the Dicastery of Bishops, among them the past President General of our organization, Dr. Maria Lia Zervino. We have Nathalie Becquart, Undersecretary of the General Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops, whose work has been and is indispensable for the synodal reform of the Church.
Alessandra Smerilli, Secretary of the Dicastery for the Service of Integral Human Development and Dr. Linda Ghisoni and Prof. Gabriella Gambino, Undersecretaries of the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life. All of them and many others have undoubtedly done great work and have demonstrated the great capacity of women.
Finally, after a long journey, the Pope announced, in January, the appointment of the first woman as Prefect of the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life: Sr Simona Brambilla. All this was unthinkable a short time ago.
What measures do you think still need to be taken to ensure greater inclusion of women in these spaces?
- The problem is that this conviction of Pope Francis, already elevated to Magisterium of the Church after the Synodal Assembly, is not shared by all bishops, priests, religious, nor by the laity themselves, men and women.
It is necessary to overcome the clericalism still present in the whole world and replace it with a culture of dialogue and trust in which all the members of the People of God can recognize each other's virtues, charisms, vocation, ministries and potential. A culture in which we are all convinced that, from the role that corresponds to us, we are all co-responsible for the present and future of the Church and that only by walking hand in hand and each one contributing the charisms that the Holy Spirit has given us, we can build a Church more faithful to its mission, more credible and closer to all, especially to the most vulnerable.
To this end, there are a few measures that come to mind:
- To resume the study of some of the fundamental points of "Preadicate Evangelium" and to make more accessible and make known to all, through parishes, associations, groups, universities, etc., the results of the Final Document of the Synod on Synodality, Magisterium of the Church, where these themes are addressed. This document already contains very concrete indications that are a guide for the mission of the Churches, in the different continents and in the different contexts.
- Share best practices and success stories of women who, at different levels, hold leadership positions in the Church, where working hand in hand with the Bishop, priests and other faithful, have had great achievements for the good of the Church.
- To work hard in seminaries and with young people and children, young men and women, in schools and families, to continue to change little by little this clericalist culture with certain hints of machismo....
- Promote education for dialogue, listening, and prayerful discernment (a synodal style) at every opportunity and avoid as much as possible sterile violent confrontations, verbal, written or of any other nature, which only serve to further alienate positions.
- The Church will have to define soon and clearly points of debate such as the diaconate of women, the possible listening to the whole people of God in the postulation of bishops and other issues that are now being studied in the 10 study groups created by Pope Francis.
- We must work hard on the theological and pastoral formation of women, especially lay women, so that we can assume, without fear, the responsibilities that correspond to us.
In terms of theological and pastoral formation, how do you assess the current situation of women in ecclesial academia? What challenges do they face in gaining access to positions of greater influence in this field?
- Much work still needs to be done in the theological and pastoral formation of women, especially lay women. Traditionally the best scholarships and study opportunities have been given to male priests and religious.
I think the most important challenges are:
- That scholarships and places in universities and theological and pastoral schools be given equally to men and women, taking into account, above all, their ability.
- Bishops, superiors and leaders of dioceses, parishes, agencies and Catholic organizations at different levels must be made aware that investing time and economic resources in women, religious and lay, is an excellent investment, if one considers "the great return that such investments can have".
- That fields that have been closed to women and for which they have great experience and gifts, such as presiding over the Ecclesiastical Courts where family matters are heard, be opened to them.
- That men and women, lay and religious, be formed together so that they may share with one another their particular experiences and needs and be better prepared to serve the whole people of God.
Pope Francis has pushed for synodality, which promotes the active participation of all members of the Church. How do you think this culture could transform the role of women in the Church globally and locally?
- The document already contains very concrete indications that are a guide for the mission of the Churches in the various continents and in different contexts. Now it is up to all of us: bishops, priests, religious, consecrated and lay people, united in diversity, to work to bring the synod to life; to make the content of the final document accessible to all and to change the culture and life of the People of God in our respective realities. And in all this we women have a very important role to play, both in our own organizations, parishes and communities, and at the diocesan, national and international levels.
The objective is clear: to walk towards spiritual renewal and structural reform in order to make the Church more participative and missionary; a Church where all, including of course women, from our own vocation, charism and ministry, listen to one another and learn to discern together, guided by the light of the Holy Spirit, the best ways to bring God's love to others; a missionary Church that knows how to go out to meet the men and women of our time, especially those most in need, taking into account the circumstances of each place; a Church in which women and lay people, duly formed, can participate in decision-making and assume the leadership and co-responsibility that corresponds to us at different levels.
In fact, more than a year ago we opened a School of Synodality through which we have already trained more than 250 facilitators, most of them women, coming from 49 countries and we have had conversations in the spirit at a global level where nearly 700 women from 78 countries have participated.
In this Jubilee year, we are determined to continue the synodal journey with hope and to continue forming missionaries of synodality, so that in our own families, organizations, communities, parishes and dioceses, the Church may be transformed.
