By Brian F. Linnane, S.J.
In August 2018, when Pope Francis released his statement on the sex abuse crisis, he wrote, “To say ‘no’ to abuse is to say an emphatic ‘no’ to all forms of clericalism.” Most thoughtful commentators agree with the Holy Father’s analysis that the current crisis the church is grappling with is a manifestation of clericalism – the chasm between those who are ordained and the laity. Clericalism is not unique to the Catholic Church, of course. In the sex abuse crisis, however, we can see that the challenges created by that power structure have been accentuated by a culture of patriarchy.
The clericalism in the church functions and thrives because of that patriarchy , which creates an unintended but implicit belief that men are superior to women. Because of that unspoken belief, more powerful men may believe they are empowered to prey on women, as well as on less powerful men and children.
We see this clearly in the downfall of Theodore McCarrick, former cardinal of the church, whose crimes were principally focused on taking advantage of more vulnerable men whose autonomy was compromised due to his perceived power. We see this also in the abuse of nuns and the abuse of children within the church. This directly reflects the #MeToo movement, where men have felt empowered to sexualize their relationships with women who had less power.
The time has come – and is, in fact, gravely overdue – for us to recognize that, although few in the church would explicitly say that men are superior to women, the structure and oversight of the church are predicated on the idea that women are less than men. This becomes clear in the traditional understanding of the marital relation between women and men, where women and men are understood to have distinct but equal roles. In fact, the appeal to complementarity and the distinctiveness of the sexes undermines the prospects for equality. We know through Brown v. Board of Education (1954) that separate is inherently unequal. The patriarchal distinction between men’s and women’s roles in the church – and in society – has created a fundamental inequity and an inordinate empowerment of men in leadership roles.
At our American universities, where many undergraduate populations are at least 50 percent women, we see more women attending college, succeeding academically, and graduating with college degrees. Yet there is still a question about whether women succeed at the same level as men. They are not achieving leadership roles as readily in higher education, and Jesuit higher education is no exception. The role of women in the Catholic Church – and at our Catholic universities – remains undervalued and uncertain.
In our desire to create more inclusive and equitable universities and a more just world, we must take seriously the reality of discrimination against women and the power of the patriarchy within the church and within society. That should be a particular focus of our Jesuit universities’ research and initiatives. At the same time, questions of patriarchy should not just be within gender studies; they should be part of the broader conversation and education for all students. As all universities are struggling with the question of equity and inclusion, racially and culturally, we have arrived at a moment where we must have the courage to look at patriarchy as a social sin and a threat to the future of the church. We need to ask ourselves how that affects us theologically and what we are doing in terms of looking at human community to ensure that the future does not replicate the past.
In this moment in the church’s history, our priority must be to take the experience of survivors of sexual abuse by clergy seriously – and to continue to work to ensure it never happens again. But we must also undertake a frank assessment of power relationships within the Catholic Church and recognize their connection to patterns of abuse. As part of that analysis, we must question how the church’s patriarchal nature and clericalism are holding the church back from fully addressing this issue.
As feminist theological scholar Margaret Farley said, there is no authentic, liberating love unless there is justice. If we fail to presume a fundamental equality between women and men as a church, we are not working for justice. Without justice, we have no love. Without love, we are separated from God – and we are failing in our mission. We have an opportunity to take a bold, essential step as a church, if we have the faith and the courage.
Brian F. Linnane, S.J., is president of Loyola University Maryland.
The featured cover photo (above) is courtesy of Fordham University.