Irish bishops welcome letter as women theologians 'despair'

A spokesman for the Irish Bishops' Conference has welcomed the Vatican document describing it as "timely" both as "a contribution to the debate on women in society" and as a reaction to "the pressures facing women".

He described it as a "radical" response to a prevailing orthodoxy which accepted discrimination against women. He emphasised in particular those sections of the document which said "a just valuing of the work of women within the family is required".

Theologian Ms Anne Thurston said last night that "on a quick first reading of this document my immediate response is of despairing disbelief - will they never learn?" She continued: "I think what depresses me here is the caricature of Christian feminism which emerges."

Far from denying difference "many women scholars now embrace difference but do not see difference as confined to the sexual sphere," she said.

Ms Soline Vatinel, founder member of the Brothers and Sisters in Christ group, said what struck her was that "all these documents about women are written by men as if they are experts - by celibate men! Can you imagine women coming together and doing that? I'm not taking my view of myself from them."

Theologian Ms Gina Menzies said that the document's "critique of feminist thinking is confused". The evidence suggested that where women become involved in organizations, issues in relation to women's lives and family life have moved up the agenda, she said. "Disappointingly, the prohibition on female ordination is re-stated as 'not hampering in any way women's access to the heart of Christian life'," she said.

Dr Mary Hunt and Dr Dianna Neu of the Women's Alliance for Theology, Ethics, and Ritual group, said "this dreadful document" was "outdated in anthropology, essentialist in its reasoning, hostile to any notion of women as full persons, and remarkably defensive".