Unite to change church stance on women

This is in response to Claudette Nowell-Philipp’s letter of March 2 titled “Women need voice in choosing pope.” Yes, Claudette, there are about 1 billion Catholics worldwide and approximately half of them are women, and our voices are completely ignored and shut out of decision making processes. Also, the two American cardinals have not accepted responsibility nor been held accountable for their actions related to priests’ sexual abuse.

There are many of us who have spent decades working for change both inside and outside the structure of the Catholic Church without much success. It is time for us to unite and let our voices be heard. We know that change does not come easily or quickly. But our beloved church is killing women — softly. And we let them do so. Patriarchal structure, language and strictly male imagery of the divine does not respect women. We must speak. We need to talk to each other, raise our voices and take whatever action is necessary to move our church (and it is our church) into the 21st century. Just because things have been done in a particular way for thousands of years does not make it right nor relieve the drastic need for change. Women’s psyches should not be squeezed through the fine sieve of strictly male imagery of the divine. Women need not sit quietly while men steer our church in the wrong direction. Let us speak.

Berna K. Gingras

Schaumburg