An Adequate Anthropology for an Integral Ecology
Secular and Religious Patriarchy are Rooted
in an Inadequate Anthropology
Luis T. Gutiérrez
29 June 2017
Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, Apostles
Second Anniversary of Laudato Si'
SUMMARY
Laudato Si' is a wake up call on the reality of the ecological crisis, a global phenomenon that emerges from population and economic (production-consumption) overshoot. However, patriarchy as a cultural driver of population growth is not mentioned. Social inequities, capitalist greed, consumerism and the idolatry of technology are thoroughly analyzed, but anthropogenic climate change is overstated and the population growth issue is grossly understated. Population and consumption issues can be distinguished, but cannot be separated. The current ecological crisis, a new experience for humanity, is driven by human choices and human behavior. Why exclude reproductive choices and male/female human relations?
"There can be no ecology without an adequate anthropology" (Laudato Si', #118). Human choices have consequences. Reproductive choices have consequences, and economic choices have consequences. Technologies can mitigate or exacerbate the consequences, but human choices are the real drivers. The current social/ecological crisis is a symptom that humans are making some bad choices. But what is the anthropological etiology of such choices, and how can human behavior be guided toward a more reasonable balance of cooperation and competition, between human beings, and between humans and the entire community of creation? How can be walk together toward integration into the Cosmic Christ?
There can be no harmoniously functional ecology without and adequate theological anthropology. We need a sacramental ecology. A sacrament is a visible sign of an invisible grace. If the visible sign is defective by being biased and/or incomplete, it provides a biased/incomplete perception of divine grace. Religious patriarchy makes the Eternal Word of God practically invisible (or, at least, only partially visible) by undue emphasis on the biophysical masculinity of the Incarnate Word. The reason is that the human body is a sacrament of the entire person, but is not the entire person. This is true for human persons, and even more so for a divine Person.
Based on St John Paul II's Theology of the Body, it is argued that bodiliness and sexuality are not identical realities. Granted that sexuality influences the human subject at levels deeper than race or any other biophysical attribute, human beings are "body-souls" before they are male or female or intersex. Patriarchy, and the simplistic binary gender ideology, emerged as a consequence of original sin but is by no means the divine plan for man/woman relations. This gender ideology, and the concomitant idolatry of "male headship," has evolved from the ancient "females are defective males" to modern stereotypes about "man and woman are complementary but separate." But the complementarity of man and woman, as thoroughly elucidated in the Theology of the Body, is a complementarity in unity and for unity in one and the same flesh, not a complementarity of contention based on culturally conditioned gender stereotypes; as evidenced by the creation of a single human nature, male and female, whereby man and woman were created of the same flesh and fully homogeneous in their whole being.
In light of this adequate theological anthropology about man and woman, the linkages between secular/religious patriarchy and social/ecological injustice are identified, and examples provided as to how secular/religious patriarchy makes integral human development practically impossible. The Theology of the Body's exegesis of the Book of Genesis (written in 1000 BC or so) conclusively shows that the sacred texts projecting the 10000-years old secular patriarchy back to the beginning is not to be interpreted as patriarchy being "divine law" in family and society, let alone in the Church. The Trinity is a communion, not a patriarchy. The Eternal Word of God was not a male before the incarnation. The Church is a communion, not a patriarchy. The marriage covenant between a man and woman is a communion, not a patriarchy. Indeed, the great mystery of Christ and the Church is a mystery of communion, not a culturally conditioned arrangement compliant with patriarchy or any other human system constructed after original sin. The vexing resilience of patriarchy in religious institutions betrays their contamination with human culture; a reality that must be faced as the patriarchal phase of salvation history passes away.
It must be faced, because secular/religious patriarchy, being an obstacle to integral human development, is also an obstacle to attaining an integral ecology. It must be faced, because the Church has no credibility preaching about doing something while she keeps doing the opposite. There is no way in the world that power-seeking financial capitalism (or communism, or any other "ism" conducive to elites dominating/manipulating other humans and the human habitat for self-serving ends) can be turned around to seek instead integral human development, and an integral ecology, as long as religious patriarchy keeps obscuring the Eternal Word of God in the flesh. Reiterating that priests and bishops are "ordained to serve" sounds hollow at a time when such ordinations systematically exclude 50% of the baptized based on a patriarchal covenant, the Old Law, that was superseded 2000 years ago by the sacramental covenant of the New Law.
Every conceivable rationalization is being used to evade facing the nefarious consequences of religious patriarchy, but the bottom line is that all men and women share one and the same human nature, male and female; and integral human development, which necessarily includes worship and liturgical body language, must be integrally male and female. Beyond superficial sentimentality, how can the Church foster devotion to Mary, who is Mother of God, Mother of the Eucharist, and predecessor of the apostles, as long as baptized women are excluded from the church hierarchy? Why should the successors of the apostles, in today's world, image the patriarchs of the 12 tribes of Israel? Why should the Christ-Church mystery be reduced to a patriarchal marriage covenant? Why should the Eucharist continue to be a phallogocentric ritual? How can a patriarchal church hierarchy image the
feminine genius in Christ? Since the goal of integral human development is integration in Christ, and the ultimate goal of an integral ecology is integration into the cosmic Christ, how can the Church foster such goals without integrally imaging the Eternal Word of God in the flesh?
These questions must be faced and must be answered, and sooner rather than later, if we really want to foster integral human development and a fully integral ecology. It is time for the Church to let go of her culturally-conditioned patriarchal past. It is time to recognize that the patriarchal, phallogocentric Old Law has been superseded by the sacramental, integrally human New Law, and move forward, for the glory of God and the good of souls; else, integral human development is not based on an adequate anthropology, attaining an integral ecology is practically impossible, and the mission of evangelization is compromised. Here and now, for the new evangelization in a post-patriarchal world, we need both viri probati and feminae probatae ordained to act in persona Christi. Else, the mission of the Church is compromised and moving toward an integral ecology -- integration into the Cosmic Christ -- is impeded.
In brief, the linkage of secular/religious patriarchy and social/ecological injustice, and the path toward integral human development and an integral human ecology, can be summarized as follows:
|
Irresponsible parenthood by rich and poor is the main symptom
The symptom is exacerbated by excessive consumption by the rich
The patriarchal treadmill of money and power is the root cause
Secular patriarchy and religious patriarchy are inseparably coupled
Both are jointly the root cause of most social/ecological injustice
Both secular and religious institutions must cease to be patriarchal
Gender balance in secular/religious governance is a moral imperative
|
Note: This article is a revised version of Religious Patriarchy Contributes to a Dysfuntional Human Ecology with added emphasis on ecological anthropology.
Visual Framing ~ Inadequate Ecological Anthropology
PATRIARCHAL CULTURE  ECOLOGICAL CRISIS
Genesis 1:28 ~ Courtesy of Vincenzo Fagnani
Visual Framing ~ Adequate Ecological Anthropology
ECOLOGICAL CRISIS COSMIC CHRIST
Cosmic Christ ~ Courtesy of Sister Annett Hanrahan RSCJ
OUTLINE
1. Fostering Integral Human Development Beyond Patriarchy
2. Origin of Religious Patriarchy and Binary Gender Ideology
3. Linkage of Secular/Religious Patriarchy and Social/Ecological Injustice
4. Initiatives Made Practically Impossible by Secular/Religious Patriarchy
5. The Vexing Resilience of Ancient Patriarchy in Religious Institutions
6. Theological Anthropology ~ Body, Sex, and the Communion of Persons
7. Theological Ecology ~ Trinity, Humanity, and the Community of Creation
8. Obscuring the Logos in the Flesh and the Cosmic Christ ~ Dysfunctional Ecology
9. Imaging the Logos in the Flesh and the Cosmic Christ ~ Integral Ecology
1. Fostering Integral Human Development Beyond Patriarchy
"Integral Human Development" means that human development cannot be reduced to partial development of some dimensions of human life while ignoring others.
Integral human development must include all dimensions of the human life -- biophysical, psychological, spiritual, social, political, financial, etc. It must include the concrete totality of the personal subject as a "body-soul," and not in isolation from others but in interpersonal relations with others.
Now that the patriarchal phase of human history is passing away, interpersonal relations between men and women, and between the masculine and feminine polarities within each person (i.e., the masculine genius in women, the feminine genius in
men) are becoming critical for integral human development. Human development, if not engendered, is endangered.
2. Origin of Religious Patriarchy and Binary Gender Ideology
Patriarchy, which basically means "male headship" in families, emerged as the dominant human culture in conjunction with the agricultural revolution, or approximately 10,000 years ago. It was the only culture known to the writers of the Bible, as the most ancient texts of the Book of Genesis were composed in 1000 BCE or so. Not surprisingly, the entire Bible is written in patriarchal language and refers to God in patriarchal terms. It does not follow however, that God is a Patriarch, or that the Trinity is a patriarchy (cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, #239, #379, #2779). Religious patriarchy, and in particular the biblical version of religious patriarchy, is a conflation of theological reflection with the patriarchal culture of male headship. That God is a male, and humanity is female, follows from the assumption, uncritically taken for granted, that masculinity is intrinsically superior to femininity; an utterly inadequate theological anthropology.
So Eve was the tempter who took the apple and gave to Adam, original sin happened, religious patriarchy was enshrined as the most universal consequence of original sin (Genesis 3:16), and the rest is history: women are defective males (Aristotle), pagan religions had women serving as temple prostitutes, and women were not allowed to enter synagogues in patriarchal Israel. Even after the incarnation and the redemption, the apostles and their successors must be male, women are the gates of hell (Tertullian), and not even Thomas Aquinas was able to refute that women are defective and misbegotten males. Needless to say, the masculinity of the Incarnate Word, a limitation of his bodily human condition, is still taken by many as a sign that only males can be ordained to act in persona Christi.
For a very refreshing narrative on how the story of Adam and Eve reflects the patriarchal culture of the time when Genesis was written (ca. 1000 BCE), and in turn has reinforced patriarchal gender ideology over the past 30 centuries, see The First Love Story: Adam, Eve, and Us. For a history of the culture, see The Creation of Patriarchy. The most comprehensive exegesis of biblical texts on human origins can be found in the Theology of the Body.
3. Linkage of Secular/Religious Patriarchy and Social/Ecological Injustice
The male domination of females in families and religious traditions extends pervasively to all dimensions of human life, including social institutions and all human interactions with the human habitat. Domination of nature (Genesis 1:28) trumps caring/nurturing of nature (Genesis 2:15). The historical development of cultures and languages has been influenced by the
firstness of the masculine polarity, to the point of assuming that such is the natural order of things. It is a worldwide phenomenon, by no means limited to any particular culture or religious tradition. It is, in real life, the first and most universal consequence of original sin (Genesis 3:16).
The linkage of secular/religious patriarchy and social/ecological injustice is the inordinate attachment to power. The accumulation of power requires money, which is the currency of power. The history of money is driven by men seeking power of women and nature, often under the pretense of divine inspiration (the holy book says that's the way it should be!). The emergence of trade and mercantilism after the agricultural revolution, and the subsequent emergence of capitalism and communism after the industrial revolution, are characterized by violence (often via scapegoating of vulnerable victims) supported/financed by money. Whether money is in the form of cattle, metal coins, paper notes, or bit coins, it serves the economics of necessity and the economics of sufficiency, which is fine; the problem is that it also serves the economics of extravagance and power struggles, to the point that the consume-borrow-consume treadmill is tightly coupled to the military-industrial complex. As long as we keep running on this treadmill, justice with peace is practically impossible.
The tripod of money-power-honors assumes many forms, such mercantilism, capitalism, national socialism (and other forms of facism) and, more recently, neoliberalism. Another variant, nationalistic capitalism, is now emerging. But the patriarchal culture of domination by brute force is the root cause of them all, and it is reinforced by the full range of religious patriarchies, from the most brutal (e.g., ISIS) to the most benign (e.g., the Vatican). In this regard, Laudato Si' may have missed the boat. Climate change is not the main problem. Climate change has been happening for a long time, and will continue to happen. That there is a significant anthropogenic component to current climate change trends is uncertain and by no means a verified scientific hypothesis. What is undeniable is that unbriddled capitalism, and now nationalistic capitalism, is exacerbating social inequities and converting the planet into a garbage dump.
In the Judeo-Christian tradition, following the story of the creation and original sin, salvation history starts with the proto-evangelium (Genesis 3:15). The central events are the Incarnation and the Redemption. After the Resurrection of Christ, we are in the already/not yet time window; we are already a "new creation" but we must keep praying and working toward full integration into the Cosmic Christ, i.e., the Omega Point or recapitulation of all things in Christ. For an alternative narrative see, for example, The Coming of the Cosmic Christ: The Healing of Mother Earth and the Birth of a Global Renaissance. What obstacles are we finding along this path? Many, but none as formidable and ingrained as religious patriarchy. For an insightful analysis of the historical record, current tipping point, and outlook for the future, see The Chalice and the Blade.
In brief, the linkage of secular/religious patriarchy and social/ecological injustice can be summarized as follows:
|
Irresponsible parenthood by rich and poor is the main symptom
The symptom is exacerbated by excessive consumption by the rich
The patriarchal treadmill of money and power is the root cause
Secular patriarchy and religious patriarchy are inseparably coupled
Both are jointly the root cause of most social/ecological injustice
|
4. Initiatives Made Practically Impossible by Secular/Religious Patriarchy
The following are some initiatives that are systematically trumped, blocked, made difficult, even practically impossible, by secular/religious patriarchy, thereby rendering ineffective otherwise feasible/practical remedies to minimize extreme poverty/social inequality and habitat degradation/climate change:
|
Integral human development is about human beings who are bodies but are more than bodies. Meeting biophysical needs is necessary but not sufficient for social/ecological justice. Human development, if not engendered, is endangered. Patriarchal societies are mostly driven by power plays irrespective of the common good. Cf. Populorum Progressio,
Compendium of Catholic Social Doctrine.
Population stabilization is about regaining balance between man and woman, humanity and nature. Abusive patriarchy in families and societies is a significant obstacle. Responsible parenthood is the only civilized and sustainable manner of stabilizing population without coercion and in ways consistent with human rights. Cf. Humanae Vitae, Theology of the Body, Amoris Laetitia.
Integral human ecology is about embedding humanity in the entire community of nature, rather than humans exploiting the planet for their own gratification. An integral human ecology is unattainable under patriarchal social systems, either capitalist or communist, because they merely seek the accumulation of money pursuant to the accumulation of power. Cf. Laudato Si', Doughnut Economics.
Consumption stabilization is contingent on integral human development and population stabilization. It requires embracing the
sufficiency principle ("why more, if enough is enough?") and letting go of the patriarchal mindset of financial accumulation for power accumulation, which induces the delusion of infinite material growth in a finite planet. Cf. Laudato Si', Doughnut Economics, Rethinking Economics.
All economic activity, both production and consumption, requires energy. Since "cheap" energy from fossil fuels eventually will be exhausted, it is imperative to develop and deploy competitive energy systems that are both clean and renewable. On the need to phase out of "cheap" fossil energy supplies, see The End of Fossil Energy and Per Capita Oil. For a comparative economic analysis of fossil fuels and alternative (renewable) energy resources, see Energy Return on Investment: A Unifying Principle for Biology, Economics, Sustainability.
Universal education is feasible (via home/school, radio/television, internet/web, cell phones, etc.) as soon as the secular/religious patriarchal elites stop the mass marketing that seeks infinite growth in a finite planet, and reduces citizens to "consumers," to refocus on population/consumption stabilization conducive to integral human development and an integral ecology. EVERYTHING IS CONNECTED.
Universal health care is feasible (via open borders, open access, migrant hospitality, voluntary resettlement incentives) as soon as the secular/religious patriarchal elites stop greasing the financial consume-borrow-consume treadmill economy, and start implementing checks and balances to mitigate abusive use of resources and abusive profiteering by health care providers. HEALTH MATTERS.
Universal basic income can be an effective way to mitigate extreme poverty. It can be funded by resource usage taxing as soon as the secular/religious patriarchal elites stop seeking infinite growth in a finite planet via mostly unearned/untaxed financial gain pursuant to valueless consolidation of power, and start focusing instead on creating space to enjoy the commons. CREATION MATTERS.
Employment incentives that make meaningful work attractive, coupled with zero income taxes on earned income, can be formulated as soon as the secular/religious patriarchal elites stop seeking infinite growth in a finite planet, via mostly unearned/untaxed financial gain pursuant to valueless consolidation of power, and start creating meaningful jobs. MEANINGFUL JOBS MATTER.
A world government (some form of global authority, democratically elected and tempered by the subsidiarity principle) can be formed as soon as the secular/religious patriarchal elites stop seeking infinite growth in a finite planet, via mostly unearned/untaxed financial gain pursuant to valueless consolidation of power, and start focusing on the PLANETARY COMMON GOOD.
|
None of the above initiatives is impossible. They are highly interconnected by a web of feedback loops and must be carried forward as a package. Human culture is the glue that has brought humanity to the current predicament, and human culture must evolve to carry forward the entire package. By pressing for short term gain now at the expense of the future, patriarchy is the human culture that lurks underneath population overshoot, production and cosumption overshoot, inordinate attachment to cheap carbon energy, and the vexing inability to correct issues of social/ecological injustice. Patriarchy is the main obstacle to all the above initiatives, and religious patriarchy is the greatest obstacle to all of them. EVERYTHING IS CONNECTED to the ancient rupture of interpersonal communion between man and woman.
Materialistic capitalism is literally turning the planet into a garbage dump because money is the only thing that really matters, and those at the service of capitalist institutions will use violence if necessary to protect their salaries. Needless to say, materialistic communism is no different; proletarian delusions notwithstanding, money is what matters. Under any kind of system driven by money, we are "free" to do what the elites induce/addict us to do, and practically force us to do. Advertising paraphernalia is the instrument, money is the narcotic. Drug trafficking is just one form of money trafficking.
Materialistic socialism is not a promising alternative. Materialistic socialism is materialism capitalism turned inside out. As has been shown in many places (the Soviet Union, China, Cuba, Venezuela, etc.) stealing money from the capitalist class and spreading it around is an ephemeral solution that may sound promising at superficial political levels but runs out of steam as soon as the stolen money is exhausted. Then a "new class" of socialist technocrtas emerges that becomes, in effect, a new elite that seeks control and usage of all resources, and we are back on square one. A new paradigm is needed, a new culture of solidarity and sustainability , a radical shift from competittion to cooperation, between humans and between humans and the planet.
Since money is the main instrument for exhange of good and services in all dimentions, a radical reform of the international monetary system may be require. For a global monetary reform proposal, see Paradigm Junction and Blue Planet Governance. Why is money reform the key to refreshing the entire cultural infraestructure of the gloabl human system? The reason is that money leads to power, and this is the bottom line going all the way back to the industrial revolution and further back to the agricultural revolution. The monetary system must be redesigned in such a way that it induces solidarity and sustainability, rather than profit maximization at the expense of the poor and the planet.
5. The Vexing Resilience of Ancient Patriarchy in Religious Institutions
Religious patriarchy is a resilient legacy in most religious traditions. The following chronology focuses on the Judeo-Christian-Catholic tradition. While the patriarchal covenant of the Old Law has been superseded by the incarnation and the redemption, and we are now a new creation under the sacramental covenant of the New Law, patriarchal residues remain in rituals and doctrines. One symptom is the conflation of patriarchal binary gender ideology with our sacramental theology. The patriarchal phase of salvation history is passing away, but "old habits die hard."
|
RELIGIOUS PATRIARCHY ~ ANNOTATED CHRONOLOGY OF KEY EVENTS
Original sin -- The original "unity in diversity" of man and woman became an impaired communion of domination/subordination -- Cf. Genesis 3:16
Emergence of the patriarchal culture -- starting at least 10,000 years or so, in conjunction with the agricultural revolution
Patriarchal covenant of the Old Law -- starting 1000 BC or so... primitive, artificial, phallogocentric, takes for granted the impaired communion of man and woman, derived from original sin, as "divine law"
Patriarchal culture of classical Greece -- "woman is a defective male" (Aristotle, later "mitigated" but not fundamentally refuted by Aquinas)
Patriarchal culture of the Roman Empire -- Even the language is patriarchal... "virtue" comes from the Latin "vir"
Sacramental covenant of the New Law -- The dogmatic definition of priestly ordination as a sacrament (Council of Trent, 1563) does not mention maleness or masculinity as a requirement for apostolic succession
Apostolic Constitution Sacramentum Ordinis -- No mention of a maleness or masculinity requirement for ordination (Pius XII, 1947)
About the rite of ordination: "If it was at one time necessary even for validity by the will and command of the Church, every one knows that the Church has the power to change and abrogate what she herself has established."
"Scandal" of women priests in the Anglican Communion -- Florence Li Tim-Oi ordained in Hong Kong, 1944
Response 1 -- Vatican II, Lumen Gentium -- "viri probati" can be ordained as deacons
"Scandal" of women priests in the Episcopal Church USA -- starting 1974 (approved 1976)
Response 2 -- New doctrinal rationalization, Inter Insegniores, a literalist interpretation of the 12 male apostles chosen by Jesus under the Old Law to represent the patriarchs of the 12 tribes of Israel (Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, 1976)
After the resurrection, under the New Law, the Church is given full authority to mediate all vocations. After the resurrection and the ascension, the Church elected St. Mathias to replace Judas and has elected all successors to the apostles. By the power of the keys, the Church can ordain women at any time, without waiting for the Lord to return and give permission. It doesn't make sense to say that the Church is not authorized to ordain women. In light of Sacramentum Ordinis, was Paul VI acting as a fool for Christ?
New biblical exegesis -- Theology of the Body (TOB) on the sacramentality of the human body, human flesh, male and female -- John Paul II, 1979-1984
About the original unity of man and woman in one and the same human nature: "Bodiliness and sexuality are not simply identical... the fact that man is a "body" belongs more deeply to the structure of the personal subject than the fact that in his somatic constitution he is also male or female... it is a question here of homogeneity of the whole being of both." (TOB 8)
About complementarity in unity: The "complementarity" of man and woman is for natural reciprocity and interpersonal communion, not for artificial separation of social/sacramental roles based on cultural gender stereotypes. The sacramentality of a female human body is equivalent to the sacramentality of a male human body. The obvious implication is that any baptized person, man or woman, can be ordained to act in persona Christi... (TOB 13, 19, 33, 89, 96...)
Response 3 -- "It's a long way to Tipperary", John Paul II's visit to the USA, 1981, referring to the ordination of women to the sacramental priesthood
Response 4 -- Code of Canon Law, #1024, John Paul II, 1983
"A baptized male alone receives sacred ordination validly."
Response 5 -- Recognition of the equal dignity of men and women, but only males can be ordained -- John Paul II, Mulieres Dignitatem, 1988
"Scandal" of women bishops in the Anglican Communion -- Barbara Harris in Boston, USA, and Penny Jamieson in Dunedin, New Zealand, 1989
"Scandal" of women priests in the Church of England -- approved 1992, started 1994
For more info: Ordination of women in the Anglican Communion
Response 6 -- Catechism of the Catholic Church, #1577 (same as Inter Insegniores) and #1598 (under the New Law, the male-only priesthood is a choice made by the Church, not by Christ), John Paul II, 1994
-
Lamentably, #1577 elevates the pre-Easter choice of the 12 male apostles to a patriarchal post-Easter doctrine (but not a dogma!)
-
Thankfully, #1598 recognizes that the the male-only priesthood is a choice made by the Church (first sentence) and who can make the choice (second sentence)
-
Again, the choice is made by the Church, not by Christ personally; so what about allowing the Risen Lord to call women, and see what happens?
-
Canon 1024 is, in effect, an artificial contraceptive (if not an outright abortifacient!) of female vocations to the sacramental priesthood
Response 7 -- Pontifical "executive order" to stop further discussion on women priests and bishops ~ Ordinatio Sacerdotalis, John Paul II, 1994
-
The letter is addressed to the bishops, not to the entire Church
-
It does not say it is a dogmatic definition, so it is not infallible as either extraordinary teaching (Pope ex cathedra) or ordinary teaching (Pope and bishops together have never taught infallibly that women cannot be ordained to the sacramental priesthood)
-
It is entirely written in past and present tense
-
It says nothing about what the Church can or cannot do in the future, so it is "definitive" for the the past and the present, but cannot possibly be "definitive" for the future, since it says nothing about the future
-
In light of the TOB, was St John Paul II acting as a fool for Christ?
Response 8 -- Pontifical "fake news" dubiously elevating the male-only priesthood to infallible teaching ~ Responsum ad Dubium, CDF 1995
Response 9 -- "The door is closed" -- Francis, interview, 2013
Response 10 -- Women cannot be ordained to the priesthood in order to preserve the image of Christ as sacrificial bridegroom and the Church as bride, thus effectively reducing the mysteriun magnum to a charitable patriarchal covenant (it should be noted that, thankfully, the ludicrous argument about the pre-Easter 12 male apostles is not repeated) -- Francis, Evangelii Gaudium #104, 2013
Response 11 -- Detour about climate change and integral ecology -- Francis, Laudato Si', 2015
Laudato Si' is a wake up call on the reality of the ecological crisis. However, patriarchy as a cultural driver of population growth is not mentioned. Social inequities, capitalist greed, consumerism and the idolatry of technology are thoroughly analyzed, but anthropogenic climate change is overstated and the population growth issue is grossly understated. Population and consumption issues can be distinguished, but cannot be separated.
Response 12 -- John Paul II was "pointing in that direction" -- Francis, interview, 2016
Response 13 -- Another commission about women deacons -- Francis, meeting, 2016
Response 14 -- Another remark about "viri probati" -- Francis, interview, 2016
Why only "viri probati"? Why not also "feminae probatae"?
The Church celebrates "Corpus Christi," not "vir Christi"!
Response 15 -- Admission that patriarchy has often been abusive in family and society -- Francis, Amoris Laetitia #54 & #154, 2016
About gender ideologies (#56): "It needs to be emphasized that "biological sex and the socio-cultural role of sex (gender) can be distinguished but not separated." Is this still the patriarchal gender binary? Can a human person be exclusively maculine or exclusively feminine? The body is normally male or female, but personal subjects are always masculine and feminine, because there is a feminine dimension in man and a masculine dimension in woman (Genesis 2). There is a "feminine genius" in Jesus, just as there is a "masculine genius" in Mary. Is the Church still constrained by patriarchal gender ideology?
Response 16 -- Integral human development dicastery -- Francis, 2017 (human persons are spirited bodies, "body-souls," not just bodies, thus requiring integral development of the spiritual and corporal, subjective and objective, masculine and feminine dimensions)
The body is a sacrament of the entire person, but is not the entire person. Questions: Why is it then, that only persons with male bodies can be tested for ordination to the sacramental priesthood? Since priests and bishops are ordained to act in the person of Christ, and only males are ordained, how can they make visible the feminine genius in Christ? Why is it that the patriarchal priesthood of the Old Law is still normative for the sacramental priesthood of the New Law?
|
Only God knows what the future sequence of "scandals" and "responses" would be. We are on our way to Tipperary, but we keep inventing rationalizations to delay getting there. Two thousand years after the redemption, the Vatican still seems to have an inordinate attachment to the patriarchal priesthood of the Old Law. When shall we finally arrive at Tipperary? When shall we have Catholic women priests? When shall we have Catholic women bishops? When shall we hear the senior cardinal deacon cry, for the first time, Habemus Mamam!?
Why the vexing resilience of ancient patriarchy in religious institutions? Specifically in the Roman Catholic Church, why should we keep conflating apostolic succession with patriarchal gender ideology? After the resurrection, Christ entrusted the mediation of all vocations to the Church. St. Matthias we elected by the Church to replace Judas. Since the resurrection, all successors of the apostles have been elected by the Church. The patriarchal phase of salvation history is passing away. Ecclesiastical patriarchy is a pastoral disgrace. The number of priests could be doubled by ordaining qualified celibate women. Do we really have a vocations crisis, or is it that the Church is blocking vocations with obsolete rules and pseudo-doctrines rooted in patriarchal stereotyping?
6. Theological Anthropology ~ Body, Sex, and the Communion of Persons
A comprehensive exegesis of biblical texts on man and woman, and their unity in one and the same human nature, was developed by Pope John Paul II in his Theology of the Body (TOB). It provides a solid basis for solving the most pressing issues of human sexuality, both in families and in the Church as the family of God, including the ordination of women to the priesthood in the Catholic and Orthodox churches. It endorses neither radical patriarchy nor radical feminism, and provides a vision of marriage, and gender relations in general, that can be summarized as unity in diversity ("original unity of man and woman"), individuality in community ("communion of persons") and equality in mutuality ("spousal meaning of the body"). The complementarity of man and woman is for reciprocity and mutual enrichment, not mutual exclusion.
It is noteworthy that, in the TOB, the "male or female" descriptor is always used in reference to the human being as a body, while "male and female" is always used in reference to the human being as a person. The human person is a body, but is more than a body (Genesis 2:7). The body is a sacrament of the entire person, but is not the entire person. Furthermore, being a body is more fundamental to the structure of the personal subject than being somatically male or female (TOB 3:2, 8:1, 21:6). In other words, bodiliness and sexuality are not simply identical, as simplistically assumed by patriarchal gender ideologies.
The following diagram attempts to portray the difference between patriarchal gender theory and the Theology of the Body:
COLOR CODES
Grey = Biblical "Flesh" (Human Nature), Beige = Body, Pink = Female, Blue = Male, Purple = Intersex. The grey (biblical "flesh," i.e., human nature) subsists under the other colors for all humans. Every human being is a unique body-soul, i.e, a unique personal subject; but all personal subjects share one and the same "flesh."
Patriarchal Gender Theory is based on a simplistic, artificial classification of human beings based on socio-cultural gender stereotypes that emerged *after* original sin.
The Theology of the Body, based on thorough exegesis of biblical texts in continuity with apostolic tradition, recognizes that while sex and gender cannot be separated, they can be distinguished (TOB # 8:1, Amoris Laetitia # 56). By providing a natural model of the structure of the personal subject, it also provides a sound anthropological foundation for the new evangelization and integral human development. An integral sacramental economy would be more conducive to integral human development and an integral ecology, for the glory of God and the good of humanity.
|
|
A Theological Anthropology for the Ecological Crisis
"There can be no renewal of our relationship with nature without a renewal of humanity itself. There can be no ecology without an adequate anthropology." Pope Francis, Laudato Si' #118
But what is an "adequate anthropology" for the Anthropocene? St. John Paul II's Theology of the Body (TOB) is fully adequate, because it reconstructs the original divine plan for man and woman in communion with each other and in harmony with nature. However, care must be taken not to read the TOB through a patriarchal lens. The patriarchal mindset of male domination, of women by men, and of nature by humans, is the root cause of the ecological crisis. Now that the patriarchal era is passing away as families increasingly evolve from sole male (father) headship toward joint male-female (father-mother) headship, a new anthropology of the family is emerging that may pave the way for humanity to thrive in the Anthropocene. The relations between humanity and the human habitat must also evolve from domination and subordination to caring and sharing (Genesis 2:15). Humans were created to preside over nature while taking good care of it and freely share what they freeley received; not to exploit nature in a zero sum game that destroys nature and induces social/ecological abuse.
An Adequate Anthropology for the Anthropocene
|
7. Theological Ecology ~ Trinity, Humanity, and the Community of Creation
As explained in the Theology of the Body, the somatic homogeneity of man and woman (TOB 8:4) shows that sexual differentiation, while undoubtedly being a gift, is also a limitation of embodied human nature. A man is bodily a man, and a woman is bodily a woman, but they are both equal in human personhood because they are both "body-persons" (i.e., "body-souls"). The entire TOB is a thorough deconstruction of the patriarchal binary:
- Being a body is more essential than being male or female (TOB 8:1)
- Man and Woman are fully homogeneous in their "whole being" (TOB 8:4)
- Bodiliness, not sex, is the foundation of the primordial sacrament (TOB 19:5)
- Imbalance of male domination/female submission must be corrected (TOB 31:2)
- The spousal meaning of the body is not limited to patriarchal analogies (TOB 33:3)
- The spousal bond of Christ-Head and Church-Body transcends patriarchy (TOB 91:1)
- The language of the body, male and female, is the language of the liturgy (TOB 117:5)
The Theology of the Body (TOB) correlates with the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC):
- The human being, male and female, is a "body-soul," a living being composed of body and soul (CCC 362; TOB 2:4, 4:2)
- The complementarity of man and woman does not cancel their equality as human persons (CCC 369; TOB 3:2)
- All human beings are consubstantial, share one and the same human nature (CCC 371; TOB 3:3)
- Having a body is more fundamental for human personhood than being male or female (CCC 372; TOB 8:1)
- The human nature of man and woman are fully homogeneous, somatically and in their "whole being" (CCC 372; TOB 8:4)
- The egalitarian complementarity of man and woman is ordered to the communion of persons (CCC 383; TOB 9:2)
In brief, the body is a sacrament of the entire person, but is not the entire person. In the Roman Catholic Church, we celebrate Corpus Christi, not vir Christi. The patriarchal gender binary is a cultural scaffolding that effectively obscures the Eternal Word made flesh; a divine person who, by embracing all the limitations of the human condition (including becoming a body, of a given gender), does not thereby ceases to be a divine person. How can an exclusively male priesthood make visible the divine feminine genius in Jesus of Nazareth? How can a patriarchal sacramental theology that hides the divine feminine genius in Christ foster the integration of humanity and the human habitat into the Cosmic Christ? The exclusively male priesthood is, in effect, a symbolic obstacle to integral human development and an integral human ecology.
For additional insights on the nefarious influence of religious patriarchy on human-human and human-planet relations, see Eve's Seed: Biology, the Sexes, and the Course of History, Ecological Ethics, and Plato's Revenge: Politics in the Age of Ecology. It is lamentable that this crucial issue of ecological anthropology is totally ignored in Laudato Si'.
8. Obscuring the Logos in the Flesh and the Cosmic Christ ~ Dysfunctional Ecology
Was the Eternal Word a male before the incarnation? No, because the Eternal Word did not have a body before the incarnation (John 1:14). Since the body is a sacrament of the entire person, but is not the entire person, it follows that:
- Religious patriarchy is cultural scaffolding that obscures the Eternal Word made flesh: one Person, divine and human.
- Specifically, in the Catholic/Orthodox churches, the exclusively male priesthood makes the feminine genius in Jesus practically invisible.
- The exclusively male priesthood reduces the celebration of the Eucharist to a phallogocentric ritual, a very patriarchal but very partial imaging of the Eternal Word as a divine Person.
The Eucharist is the gift of love and life. Is patriarchy a sign of love? Is patriarchy a sign of life? Are flesh, bread, blood (John 6:35-59) exclusively masculine realities? "The glory of God is man [and woman] fully alive." Since the patriarchal phase of salvation history is passing away, the exclusively male priesthood is no longer for the glory of God and the good of souls. Is "integral human development" about preserving secular/religious patriarchy, or is it about making man and woman fully alive?
The Church is one, holy, catholic, and apostolic, but not necessarily patriarchal. The four marks of the Church remain intact when the culturally-conditioned patriarchal scaffolding is removed to make more clearly visible the glory of the Eternal Word in the flesh, "like us in all things but sin."
|
A Theological Anthropology for an Integral Ecology
"There can be no renewal of our relationship with nature without a renewal of humanity itself. There can be no ecology without an adequate anthropology." Pope Francis, Laudato Si' #118
The ecological crisis is a blessing in disguise. Impending challenges such as "climate change" and limits in energy flow and other resources, and the consequent moral imperative for new mitigation and adaptation initiatives, convey the voice of God as it continues to resound in the events of history. If the ecological crisis is anthropogenic, then an adequate anthropology becomes indispensable to avoid the dangers and seize the opportunities that are emerging as the crisis unfolds. The Anthropocene is an opportunity to begin reconstructing the originally intended communion between man and woman, and well as the harmony between humanity and nature. The same patriarchal culture of male domination and female subordination that emerged as the immediate and most universal consequence of original sin (Genesis 3:16), and impairs male/female human relations, also impairs human/nature relations. In order to resolve the current, worldwide social/ecological crisis, and in order to keep movig along the path that leads to integration into the Cosmic Christ, it is imperative to recover the original balance between man and woman, and between humanity and nature.
An Integral Ecology for the Anthropocene
|
9. Imaging the Logos in the Flesh and the Cosmic Christ ~ Integral Ecology
Every conceivable rationalization is being used to evade facing the nefarious consequences of religious patriarchy, but the bottom line is that all men and women share one and the same human nature, male and female; and integral human development, which necessarily includes worship and liturgical body language, must be integrally male and female. Beyond superficial sentimentality, how can the Church foster devotion to Mary, who is Mother of God, Mother of the Eucharist, and predecessor of the apostles, as long as baptized women are excluded from the church hierarchy? Why should the successors of the apostles, in today's world, image the patriarchs of the 12 tribes of Israel? Why should the Christ-Church mystery be reduced to a patriarchal marriage covenant? Why should the Eucharist continue to be a phallogocentric ritual? How can a patriarchal church hierarchy image the feminine genius in Christ? Since the goal of integral human development is integration in Christ, and the ultimate goal of an integral ecology is integration into the cosmic Christ, how can the Church foster such goals without integrally imaging the Eternal Word of God in the flesh?
If there is a divine feminine genius, an everything was created through Christ and in Christ, it follows that there is a feminine genius in the Incarnate Word. Surely, the the maternal face of God is more superficially visible in Mary. But it is also present in Jesus, not only because the Word became flesh in Mary but because the divine feminine genius abides in the uncreated Word from all eternity. So how can we keep dancing around this basic incarnational reality, that is still negated by assuming that only males can be ordained to the sacramental priesthood? How can we say that integral human development entails making visible the
feminine genius only in women and the masculine genius only in men?
These questions must be faced and must be answered, and sooner rather than later, if we really want to foster integral human development and a fully integral ecology. It is time for the Church to let go of her culturally-conditioned patriarchal past. It is time to recognize that the patriarchal, phallogocentric Old Law has been superseded by the sacramental, integrally human New Law, and move forward, for the glory of God and the good of souls; else, integral human development is not based on an adequate anthropology, attaining an integral ecology is practically impossible, and the mission of evangelization is compromised. Here and now, for the new evangelization in a post-patriarchal world, we need both viri probati and feminae probatae ordained to act in persona Christi. Else, the mission of the Church is compromised and moving toward an integral ecology -- integration into the Cosmic Christ -- is impeded.
In brief, the linkage of secular/religious patriarchy and social/ecological injustice, and the path toward integral human development and an integral human ecology, can be summarized as follows:
|
Irresponsible parenthood by rich and poor is the main symptom
The symptom is exacerbated by excessive consumption by the rich
The patriarchal treadmill of money and power is the root cause
Secular patriarchy and religious patriarchy are inseparably coupled
Both are jointly the root cause of most social/ecological injustice
Both secular and religious institutions must cease to be patriarchal
Gender balance in secular/religious governance is a moral imperative
|
REFERENCES
The following list of references, with links, is limited to official teaching documents of the Roman Catholic Church, to clearly show the credibility of the sources. Inserting links for these documents every time they are mentioned in the text would detract from the flow of ideas spanning the 30 centuries of Judeo-Christian tradition. A few additional references, with links, are embedded in the text for readers who want to research other relevant sources by other researchers.
Institution of the Sacramental Priesthood of the New Law, Council of Trent, 1563.
Apostolic Constitution on the Sacrament of Order, Pius XII, 1947.
Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, Second Vatican Council, 1964.
EWTN Website on the Theology of the Body as they were published in L'Osservatore Romano (1979-1984).
Original Unity of Man and Woman: Catechesis on the book of Genesis, John Paul II, St Paul Editions, 1981.
Catechism of the Catholic Church, John Paul II, Liguori Publications, 1994.
The Theology of the Body: Human Love in the Divine Plan, John Paul II, Pauline Books & Media, 1997.
Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, 2004.
Man and Woman He Created Them: A Theology of the Body, John Paul II, translation by Michael Waldstein, Pauline Books & Media, 2006.
Encyclical Letter Laudato Si' on Care for Our Common Home, Francis, 2015.
Apostolic Exhortation Amoris Laetitia on Love and the Family, Francis, 2016.
|Back to Title|
PelicanWeb Home Page
Index of Meditations
|
