Editorial

The Vatican view of women

Pope Benedict was leaving himself open to challenge when he remarked in an interview that women "are very present in the departments of the Holy See". It was a tacit invitation to delve into the Annuario Pontificio, the Vatican's Year Book, and count them. The result, according to our Rome correspondent Robert Mickens, is that no more than 15 per cent of the named total of officials of the Holy See are women. There are more than that in Vatican City as a whole, of course, but employed in the more traditional female tasks of cleaning, cooking and clerical work. But whatever the statistics, the Pope wanted to see more of them. He said the Church had to try not to stand in their way but, on the contrary, "to rejoice when the female element achieves the fully effective place in the Church best suited to her".

 As a statement of policy for this pontificate this is refreshing, notwithstanding the question begged at the end. Pope Benedict also offered the qualification that Canon Law reserved decision-making powers in the Church for the ordained, which meant men. Yet the true function of the staff of the Holy See is to advise the Pope, not to make decisions for him. There is no reason why women should not give advice at any level.

 The small proportion of women in key positions is unlikely to be due entirely to direct discrimination, though that may happen and the Vatican does not style itself as an "equal opportunities employer". There are many structural and institutional reasons why women are so thinly represented. In secular employment, where an organisation has an unconscious bias on grounds of gender or race, it sometimes requires independent advice and careful discernment to see where the problems lie. The Vatican could do worse than take such advice itself.

For instance, appointment and promotion in the Vatican may depend on informal networks of friends and acquaintances. Insiders often remark how tribal the Vatican is, and how much any career progress depends on whispers in corridors and the patronage of powerful figures. That is bound to exclude women. More familiar to the secular world will be institutional discrimination flowing from career structures which suit men, such as the pattern of gradual progress in unbroken, full-time employment.

 Some jobs may also be inherently more attractive to men than women, which does not mean they could not be reshaped. The Church needs also to learn from the secular world that inequality and discrimination in employment are regarded as injustices, which a Church preaching the Gospel should find intolerable. Too much talk about "what suits women best" just sounds patronising - especially as it will invariably be men who decide.

 The Holy See will gain in many ways. If it starts to advertise, it will have available to it a far wider pool of talent, which should improve the overall quality of the people appointed. It will be seen to be acting justly, and taking the claims and complaints of women seriously. It will have the benefit of female experience and a female approach to problem-solving, which may be less confrontational and more conciliatory. And improvements in the conditions for women are very likely to bring benefits to men too. Justice and self-interest make powerful allies.

Back to the front page