For Immediate Release April 25, 2006
Sr. Christine Schenk Linda Pieczynski
FutureChurch Call To Action
216-228-0869 630-655-8783
216-513-3647 (cell) 630-399-6924 (cell)
DaVinci Mary of Magdala Energizes Reform
But Undercuts Women’s Leadership in Early Church
Focus on Fictional Marriage, Obscures Fact of Women’s Leadership
Postcard Campaign Requests Women Preachers, Deacons, Discussion of Priesthood
“The DaVinci Code book and now the movie are pure fiction in their portrayal of the historical Mary of Magdala,” said Sr. Christine Schenk of FutureChurch. “Yet Dan Brown’s novel catalyzed unprecedented interest in women leaders in the early Church, as well as their suppression by Church men. It really energized our ten year effort to educate about Jesus’ inclusive practice and set the record straight that Mary of Magdala was not a prostitute. However, while the book paints an attractive portrait of the underlying unity of male and female, it ultimately undercuts women’s leadership because it focuses on the fiction of Mary of Magdala's marital status rather than the fact of her leadership as the primary witness to Jesus' resurrection. Unfortunately, this reinforces gender bias that women are only important because of the men in their lives.”
“We now know that women held ministerial roles in the early Church identical to those held by men,” said Linda Pieczynski, spokesperson for Call To Action. “Inscriptions and images found on papyri, tombstones, frescos and mosaics in Rome, Sicily, Jerusalem, Northern Africa, Spain and many other places show early Christian women serving their communities as apostles, prophets, teachers of theology, priests, stewards, deacons and bishops.”
For the past nine years FutureChurch and Call To Action have 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. These attracted tens of thousands of people. This coming July over 300 groups in the U.S. and worldwide are expected to hold special celebrations to highlight women’s leadership in the Church .
In March, the groups launched the next phase of their Women in Church Leadership effort. A new postcard campaign requests Catholic Bishops to allow women to preach and proclaim the Gospel and to petition Rome for open discussion of women’s full ministerial equality in the Church, beginning with ordaining women to the diaconate. (see text of postcard attached).
“ Catholic Church practice has yet to catch up to the vision of Jesus who loved, empowered and accepted the ministry of women, but was probably not married to one,” said Schenk . “If Mary of Magdala was Jesus' wife and the mother of his child, it is improbable that John’s Gospel and other early Christian writings would have omitted such important facts, especially since they were written after the fall of Jerusalem in 70 CE, when there would have been nothing to fear from Jewish authorities. Instead these early texts portray her in considerable detail as the primary witness to the resurrection and a female leader who, in many ways, understood Jesus' mission better than the male disciples.”
The Gospels show that. Mary of Magdala was preeminent female leader in the early church, but by the sixth century she was remembered not as as church Fathers such as Hippolytus named her,“The Apostle to the Apostles,” but as a prostitute. Scripture scholars and experts on related Christian writings say she was confused with other women of the gospels.
“Rather than speculate falsely that Mary of Magdala was married to Jesus, it would be better to imitate her generosity and courage in accompanying a condemned political prisoner through a tortuous death; and her faith in proclaiming God's resurrection ratification of all the values for which Jesus suffered and died,” said Schenk. “One of those values was to welcome the gifts and leadership of women. When will all of our Catholic leaders follow God's example and welcome women to preach and proclaim the Gospel as Mary of Magdala did on that first Easter morning?”
Names of local media contacts are available from FutureChurch. For a list of 2005 celebration sites and spokespeople visit www.futurechurch.org and click on the Mary of Magdala icon
FutureChurch, headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, is a U.S. coalition of 5,000 parish based 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.
Call to Action is a national organization of 25,000 laity, religious and clergy with its national office in Chicago and 40 local chapters. It advocates for reforms in the Catholic Church such as the ordination of women, optional celibacy for priests, more focus on the church’s social teaching, and consultation with the Catholic people on church decision making.