My correspondence with a Feminist

The following is a correspondence between a Feminist and me:


Thanks for the feedback. I think my more than than 30 units of theology, my readings on feminism and my immersion in women's issues can safely guide me in interpreting Card. Ratizinger's letter. I think women have the right to answer BACK. I sure respect your views.- CPDoyo


I wrote:
Dear Ms. Doyo,

Hi! I just want to react on your article last Thursday in the Inquirer. But please consider this email as my personal correspondence with you.

I'm not a theologian, nor a scholar on feminism, but as an humanist myself, but I believe that there is nothing wrong with the document the Cardinal wrote on man and woman. The document is directed to Catholic bishops, and to be interpreted by them for their faithful. As a Catholic, reading a document addressed to Bishops (vis a vis an ecyclical addressed to all Catholics) and interpreting it based on the little theology and doctrine we know about our Catholic faith is, in my opinion, unfair. We (including myself) have to read up on our Catechism and review our Theology if we want to understand and interpret the document that Cardinal Ratzinger wrote. Truly the Cardinal is not a woman to speak for women, but how many times do we women also try to talk for the men? Likewise, we accuse the Church of being patriarchal, and advise men to respect us. I think that one must not necessarily be a woman to speak for a woman.

(The document counters RADICAL feminism ideals.)

Truly, the present Pope who has approved of the document is a humanist (the letter in fact claims in the first lines that the Church is a humanist) and so should we consider him always, giving the letter the benefit of the doubt that it is sincerely humanistic. How do we do this? By reading up. By researching on other articles related to the issue before we allow our emotions to overtake our reasoning.

Here are some articles i suggest we, good Catholic women, should read up on and their links (by the way, these are easy and free ways on "eavesdropping" on the Vatican):

1. Mulieris Dignitatem - http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/apost_letters/documents/hf_jp-ii_apl_15081988_mulieris-dignitatem_en.html

2. The Authority of Women by Monica Miller - Here's a good Catholic woman speaking on Feminism - http://www.catholiceducation.org/articles/apologetics/ap0004.html

3. Here's an article on evidences of women's superiority from a Marxist perspective - http://www.catholiceducation.org/articles/feminism/fe0003.html

4. Another article by Monica Miller on the false premises of feminists on a patriarchal Church - http://www.ewtn.com/library/ISSUES/ADAMEVE.TXT

More links on this page to help us understand our Faith's stand on feminism: http://www.catholic-pages.com/dir/feminism.asp

I do understand, however, that it can be misleading when the Cardinal wrote that "[feminism] strengthens the idea that liberation of women enatils criticism of Sacred Scripture." Then again, we have to understand that there is a Catholic view of feminism which the Church approves. But we also have to be aware that there are radical views on women which are already "inhuman". I have a friend who went through a stage of being a feminist herself but confessed to me that being bombarded with all the feminist ideals, she realized their absurdity and have gone back to the faith. The human mind knows on its own how to discern what is reasonable and not. Perhaps, we just have to read up on the feminist philosophies at the same time on what our Catholic faith teaches on the dignity of women before we judge which one is right.

The Pope is a "synthesizing" Pope. He knows how to embrace all sorts of philosophies, but only those that are good in them. The Pope was able to find what is good in Kant's philosophy and even quotes him. He is capable of drawing out what is right from what apparently may be wrong. Let us learn from the authentic OPENNESS in which the Pope exemplifies for us. We have to be more open to the Catholic Church rather than seeing her as our lifetime antagonist.

God bless us all.

Sincerely,
Tranquillity