In the current issue of the
Jesuit journal Civiltà Cattolica (Catholic Civilisation)
published by the Jesuits in Rome, Father Vincenzo Anselmo writes
about female figures in Biblical tales: a timely article given
the annual commemoration of women on March 8 with International
Women's Day.
The pope also recently spoke on the complexities of the
role of women within the Catholic Church, during a press
conference with journalists on his return flight from Ciudad
Juarez in Mexico last month.
In that talk, the pontiff said that although the role of
women within the Church still isn't completely and clearly
defined, the Church does need the presence of women in its
ranks.
"We haven't fully understood the good that a woman can do
in the life of a priest and the Church, in the sense of counsel,
of help, of healthy friendship," Pope Francis said.
"Even the pope has a heart that can have a healthy, holy
friendship with a woman," he said.
The themes raised by Pope Francis - those of women's
counsel, help, and friendship - parallel those brought forward
in Father Anselmo's article, in an analysis of the Biblical
female figures of Rebecca, Bathsheba, and the Syrophoenician
Woman.
The journal has been a constant account of the thought and
the teachings of the first Jesuit pope in history, and the
article included in the most recent issue is also a reflection
of that thought as it regards women.
"Usually Biblical tales are read as narratives written from
the point of view of men, and the principle roles are for male
protagonists," the article said, referring to figures such as
patriarchs, judges, kings and prophets.
"However, female brilliance is present in a creative way in
the pages of Scripture," Anselmo writes, asserting that the
Bible tells not only a story of patriarchy.
"In the decisive moments of Biblical narrative, women make
the difference, intervening to loosen the knots along the path
to salvation," he writes.
The three figures chosen by Anselmo to represent females in
the Bible are ones that he said play a "crucial role" in the
narrative arc between the Old and New Testaments.
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