Vatican Hosts Conference on Women Without Women Participants

[Cleopatra7]

The Vatican is trying to reach out to disaffected women by hosting a conference on "women's culture." But as one would expect from the Vatican, no actual women will be participating in the meeting.

Cardinals and other Catholic prelates from around the world will cover a variety of women's issues at Wednesday's assembly, including domestic violence, plastic surgery and women's contributions to the church. Only men will be behind the closed doors.

The image used to headline the website for this event is of a Man Ray sculpture called "Venus Restored" that consists of a headless, limbless female torso bound in ropes, which doesn't really raise expectations that this august body will be clued into women's issues.

ncronline.org/blogs/ncr-today/sparks-fly-over-choice-image-vatican-document-assembly-women

[Coconut Flan]

Shaking my head slowly side to side. What will it take for them to learn?

[Doormat12345]

Reminds of this mock add on women's health and the US congress

http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/251fa6 ... peak-outme

[Peas n carrots]

They couldn't even ask sisters to participate?

I really couldn't wish more for an organization to come down. Save the art but chuck out all these old men in the hierarchy that care nothing but for their own career track.

[Burris]

I turned to my husband and said, "I read the Vatican is holding a women's conference..."

...and he started laughing, immediately. I didn't even get the best part out and he knew.

[anjulibai]

Wow, talk about tone deaf.

Come on, Francis, get it together!

[salex]

Made me think of this

[bBvideo 560,340:cmpudxqn]

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[kpmom]

It's things like this that make me wonder why Francis is seen as so progressive by so many, even some FJers.

Same old shit far as I can see.

[louisa05]

This is part of a normal series of councils that take place regularly and address different topics. It seems that with Francis's popularity, these things get more attention.

The working document was prepared by a smaller panel that included four Italian women with successful careers and one of the main points is that the church's traditional view of women no longer corresponds to the reality of women's lives.

It isn't perfect. But it also isn't exactly what it is being made out to be here. They are trying, in the glacial and very traditional way of The Church, to address modern issues.

[Firiel]

I mean, at this point, it's almost cute how badly they are failing in their attempts to make the church more palatable for women.

[Idolatry]

This is part of a normal series of councils that take place regularly and address different topics. It seems that with Francis's popularity, these things get more attention.

The working document was prepared by a smaller panel that included four Italian women with successful careers and one of the main points is that the church's traditional view of women no longer corresponds to the reality of women's lives.

It isn't perfect. But it also isn't exactly what it is being made out to be here. They are trying, in the glacial and very traditional way of The Church, to address modern issues.

Wow! FOUR WOMEN WROTE A REPORT!!! So the dozens of men might read the report that includes four women? Well, that changes everything. Team Francis.

[ADoyle90815]

It made me think of this.[bBvideo 560,340:3puprgqa]

[/bBvideo]

[anjulibai]

It's things like this that make me wonder why Francis is seen as so progressive by so many, even some FJers.

Same old shit far as I can see.

Comparatively speaking, he is progressive. If you consider the glacial pace with which things in the Catholic Church change and the overall conservativism, Francis has done some pretty radical things.

But things are still going to be pretty damn conservative for quite some time. I hope he is in office long enough to actually make a difference in the long term.

[Eater of Worlds]

The Vatican is just like Saudi Arabia!* http://www.inquisitr.com/1816227/saudi- ... -attendee/

*Not entirely serious.

[Georgiana]

I know a lot of Conservative Catholic men and women. I'd rather have the men there than the women, honestly. And the only kind of women they would permit would be those super-Orthodox.

Moderate and Liberal Catholic women are wonderful, but a lot of the women, in my experience, who swallow the dogma of the Church (esp. as it relates to women) hook, line, and sinker can be some of the most judgmental, merciless, and women-hating people you'll meet. I mean, there's a certain level of woman-hating you HAVE to be if you don't question the Church. Otherwise, there are are A LOT of doctrines that do not make sense and you cannot fully accept.

They are given very little real autonomy, so the little that they get, they lord like dictators over other women.

Now, that's just my opinion and experiences. And, like I said, the Moderates and the Liberals are lovely. The slightly conservatives can be OK.

But those hardcore Conservatives: man, hell could freeze over and it would STILL be warmer than those ladies when it comes to the question of other women's behavior and issues.

[kpmom]

Comparatively speaking, he is progressive. If you consider the glacial pace with which things in the Catholic Church change and the overall conservativism, Francis has done some pretty radical things.

But things are still going to be pretty damn conservative for quite some time. I hope he is in office long enough to actually make a difference in the long term.

You'll have to forgive me if I don't find old Francis all that progressive.

From an L.A. Times opinion piece by professors at Notre Dame and Yale on Francis' views on women;

"Ten days ago, Pope Francis organized and addressed an interfaith colloquium on the subject of “The Complementarity of Man and Woman in Marriage.†The use of the doctrinal term “complementarity†signals the conservative underpinnings of Francis' views on marriage. The religious teaching of complementarity holds that men and women have very different roles in life and in marriage, with men outranking women in most areas. Although Francis did acknowledge that complementarity could take “many forms,†he nonetheless insisted that it is an “anthropological fact.â€"

And;

"Last week, in chastising the European Parliament on the subject of immigration policy, Francis provided another alarming insight into his attitudes toward women, this time in his choice of metaphor. He described Europe as a “grandmother, no longer fertile and vibrant,†but instead “elderly and haggard.†At 77 years old, presumably Francis still thinks himself relatively vibrant and useful to society. Women of his age, however, have apparently outlived their utility."

Link to the article; http://www.latimes.com/opinion/la-oe-mo ... story.html

Not breaking link as it's the LA Times

[artdecades]

Reminds of this mock add on women's health and the US congress

http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/251fa6 ... peak-outme

still better than the actual video the vatican released for this event.

[bBvideo 560,340:2usq8a3k]

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