The fact that many women cannot be ordained as priests causes them sorrow. What advice would you give a woman who is already active in church ministry but still feels called to the priesthood? questioned Kerry Webber, executive editor of the monthly journal that the American Jesuits produce.
"So why can't a woman become an ordained priest? It's because that violates the Petrine principle, the pope remarked.
We might claim that the Petrine church has a ministerial dimension. I'm referring to theologians as a group. The Petrine understanding of ministry, the Holy Father declared.
An interpretation of the "Marian principle"
The pope clarified that there is another way—one that is more "theological"—in which women are essential to Church life.
He claimed that the "Marian principle," which he dubbed the "spousal essence of the Church," was mirrored in the dignity of women.
The path doesn't just involve [ordained] ministry. Women make up the Church. Church is like a spouse. We haven't created a theology of women that takes this into account, the pope stated.
"Ministry is the Petrine principle. The Marian principle, however, which is the principle of femininity (femineidad) in the Church, of the woman in the Church, where the Church sees a mirror of herself because she is a woman and a spouse, is another principle that is still more significant and about which we do not speak.
One would assume that a church that adheres solely to the Petrine concept has been reduced to its ministerial component and nothing else. However, the Church is not merely a ministry. It is all of God's people. Women make up the Church. Church is like a spouse. Therefore, in this way, the dignity of women is reflected, the pope remarked.
A theology of the Marian idea needs to be developed further, according to Pope Francis.
This is a condensed exposition, but I wanted to emphasise the two theological foundations that make up the Church—the Petrine principle and the Marian principle. Therefore, it is not a deprivation that the lady does not pursue a career in ministry. No. Your place is in the catechesis regarding women in line with the Marian concept, which is much more crucial and which we have yet to develop, he remarked.
"The administrative route is a third option.”
According to Pope Francis, in addition to the Petrine and Marian principles, the Body of Christ also has another role that is particularly well adapted to women: the "administrative manner."
“ The administrative approach, which is not a theological issue but rather something of standard administration, the ministerial way, the ecclesial way, and, let's say, Marian, the ecclesial way. And in this regard, I think we need to allow women greater room," remarked Pope Francis.
The Holy Father then referred to the ladies he had chosen, saying that generally speaking, women are "superior" managers.
The areas of the Vatican where we have placed women are operating more effectively."For instance, there are six cardinals and six laypeople on the Council for the Economy. When I appointed five women out of the six laypeople two years ago, it was a revolution. A woman serves as the Vatican's deputy governor. A woman typically does better when she enters politics or management. Women make up a large portion of the profession, and they are improving the economy, according to him.
He then related two examples regarding what he called the "nose" (olfato) of women, who have proven to be astute moral judges when assessing priest candidates.
"The mother is more familiar with the secrets of the church than we men are. Because of this, a woman's opinion is highly valued, and her choice is preferable, he stated.
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