For immediate release:  APRIL 1, 2008

Contact:    
Sr. Christine Schenk (Cleveland) 216-228-0869 x4 (w) 
 Executive Director 216-513-3647 (cell)

Ms. Barbara Litrell (Sedona, AZ) 928-649-0135 (h)
FutureChurch Board 928-300-5839 (cell).

Memo to Pope Benedict:  Restore Biblical Women Leaders,
Invite Female Scholars to October Synod
International campaign asks more attention to women’s biblical leadership, experience

Cleveland, OH Even as Pope Benedict tours the eastern United States, thousands of Catholics are petitioning the Vatican and US Bishops to restore deleted women leaders to the Catholic lectionary and invite female biblical scholars to next October’s special International Synod on the Word of God in the Life and Mission of the Church.

Spearheaded by the Cleveland-based FutureChurch, the Women and the Word campaign also asks the Synod to devote more pastoral attention to Jesus and St. Paul’s inclusive practice and expand preaching opportunities for qualified women.

“Too often, women leaders, biblical and otherwise, are invisible in Church preaching and proclamation,” said Sr. Christine Schenk, FutureChurch Executive Director.  “For example,
even though all four gospels name Mary of Magdala as leading the women who first witnessed the Resurrection, Jesus’ commission asking her to tell the male disciples is never read on  Sunday.”

A fascinating 1996 analysis by Sr. Ruth Fox OSB found a disproportionate number of passages about women had been deleted from the lectionary, a book of biblical passages carefully chosen for church proclamation. (available for free download at www.futurechurch.org)

“The Church has gotten very restrictive about allowing lay people to preach, even those with degrees in scripture and homiletics, said FutureChurch Board member, Barbara Litrell of Sedona, AZ.  “This is a great loss to the believing community which of course, is composed of both women and men.”

"Presently there are more women ministers in the US Church than diocesan priests. We only have 18,000 active diocesan parish priests, but 30,000 lay ministers of whom 80% are women. Yet none can preach or proclaim the Gospel at Mass even though they have the academic and ministerial qualifications. This is a great loss to our Church and certainly not consistent with the practice of Jesus," said Schenk.

Pope Benedict has three times addressed the need to expand women’s roles. In February 2007, Benedict praised early women leaders:  “The story of Christianity would've had a very different trajectory were it not for the generosity brought to it by many women,” he said, describing their work as "anything other than secondary."

No women theologians were invited to the 2005 Synod on the Eucharist. Fourteen women were invited but they had no vote.  By contrast, 242 bishops attended who had full voting privileges.

Recently the Vatican promised to expand roles for women in the offices of the Curia, though the jobs have yet to materialize. (see www.futurechurch.org for exact references)

In coming months FutureChurch supporters will seek personal meetings to elicit the support of Synod delegates both nationally and internationally.  A list of female biblical scholars is being compiled for submission to Synod leaders.  FutureChurch director, Sr. Christine Schenk, will lead a pilgrimage to Rome archaeological sites of early women leaders while the Synod is in process.

Campaign accomplishments:

• At least 5000 paper and electronic postcards have already been sent to US bishops, the Pope and Vatican officials asking for attention to women's biblical leadership and experience in church preaching and scripture proclamation at the October Synod. Many more will come from an ambitious internet campaign to attract even more participants.

• In 2007, scores of organizers at over 270 Mary of Magdala celebrations in the US and Canada incorporated a special prayer service celebrating the hidden women of the lectionary and distributed hundreds of postcards and forwarded e-postcard appeals.  Similar celebrations and actions are planned for the summer of 2008

• Many leaders of men’s and women’s religious orders have spoken or written personal letters to their bishops asking for female biblical experts to serve as consultants at the Synod.

• A number of bishops privately support the campaign.

For the past ten years FutureChurch has sponsored annual celebrations of the Feast of St. Mary of Magdala to promote understanding of Jesus’ inclusive practice and provide a place for women to serve in visible liturgical roles.  

Sample electronic postcard and more background information available at www.futurechurch.org

Women and the Word local contacts visit www.futurechurch.org

FutureChurch, headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, is a U.S. coalition of 5,000 parish centered Catholics striving to educate fellow Catholics about the seriousness of the priest shortage, the centrality of the Eucharist (the Mass), and the systemic inequality of women in the Catholic Church. FutureChurch makes presentations throughout the country, distributes educational and informational packets and recruits activists who call on Catholic leadership to open ordination to all baptized persons who are called to priestly ministry by God and the people of God.

FutureChurch
17307 Madison Ave.  Lakewood, OH 44107
216-228-0869 www.futurechurch.org