Pope to women Superiors General:
mission is service, not servitude
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| Pope Francis receives members of the International Union of Superiors General (Vatican Media) |
Pope Francis meets participants in the XXI Plenary Assembly
of the International Union of Superiors General (UISG) answering their
questions and thanking them for their service.
By Linda Bordoni
Pope Francis on Friday received some 850 Superiors General
of women religious who had just concluded their Plenary Assembly that takes
place every three years.
During the audience he conversed with them reflecting on a
series of topics including the question of the abuse of religious women,
women’s diaconate, the role of women in the Church and the possibility of an
apostolic trip to South Sudan.
But first, he thanked the religious for their courageous
choice to evolve in sync with an evolving world, pointing out that their new path
is full of risks, but he said, “it is even more risky to be afraid and not
grow”.
‘Blessed shame’
Regarding the question of clerical abuse, Pope Francis noted
that it cannot be resolved overnight. But he pointed to the fact that a process
has begun to tackle this problem, of which, he said, “we are becoming aware,
with such shame, but blessed shame”.
Abuse of power
The Pope added that the abuse of nuns is a question of which
to be aware of and faced: “It is a serious problem”, he said, and he went on to
mention the abuse of power and the abuse of conscience to which religious can
be particularly subjected.
Religious, he added, “must not become the servants of a
cleric.”
“They must carry out their mission in the dimension of
service, not in that of servitude” he said.
Women’s diaconate
As far as women’s diaconate is concerned, the Pope recalled
that a special commission had been established at the request of the religious
to examine this issue in depth.
He explained that an agreement had not been reached within
the commission and that a theological, historical foundation is needed. However
the work, he promised, will continue.
The role of women in the Church
It is wrong to think that the commitment of the sisters in
the Church is only functional, the Pope said: “The Church is feminine”. He took
pains to underscore that this is not a mere image, but reality.
Recalling the fact that in the Bible the Church is female,
she is “Jesus’ bride”, the Pope said that in the field of Theology of Woman it
is necessary to move forward.
He also agreed with one of the religious who suggested that
during the UISG’s next Plenary Assembly a male presence could be useful to
listen to the voices of so many religious across the globe who, together with
their sisters, serve Jesus in an infinite range of capacities.
South Sudan
And confirming his closeness and appreciation for women
missionaries who serve the people in countries of great need like the Central
African Republic and South Sudan, the Pope said it is his desire to visit the
youngest nation in the world.
It is not a promise, he said, but a possibility that perhaps
will come true on the occasion of the apostolic journey to Mozambique,
Madagascar and Mauritius.
“I want to go - he said - I carry South Sudan in my heart”.
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