PopeWatch: Less Masculine
Donald R. McClarey
Cradle Catholic. Active in the pro-life movement since 1973. Father of three, one in Heaven, and happily married for 41 years. Small town lawyer and amateur historian. Former president of the board of directors of the local crisis pregnancy center for a decade.
I’ve noticed whenever Francis’ says “It is necessary…”, a logical fallacy or contradiction is sure to follow in a dictatorial fashion.
I’m not sure how the Church can be less masculine. I’ve yet to meet one masculine priest, and I’ve got a very low bar for that.
Most clergymen I’ve met strike me as roughly mid-range in their interests, hobbies, mannerisms, and demeanor. However, priests who are not mid-range are very seldom on the butch side of things.
From the social research I’ve seen, the degree to which religious congregation are feminized in terms of who attends is considerably overstated. However, aspects of parish life are ordered to appeal to specific feminine types. In your standard-issue Catholic parish, this is seen most thoroughly in musical selections.
A little side note; toward the end of Christ’s earthly mission, the bible informs us that the Apostles had carried swords (at least Peter did) I assume it was not for the purpose of buttering their bread.
DJH-
Fr Angelo in Staten Island will invite you to his motorcycle blessing, give a homily worthy of Friar Tuck, and then go for a ride with you.
But yeah, on average, Fr Goalongtogetalong is the priest I encounter.
Another Papal pronouncement worthy of my submarine sailor one finger salute.
Well, if Francis wants to make the Church less masculine, I suppose the easiest way to go about it would be to bring on even more Jesuits.
The Church in the US is already seen as too much a thing for women.
Many families I know have mom and kids in the pews and dad not making the time. What does that teach junior about men in the Church?
Also, every position I know of in the church outside the Knights of Columbus is headed up by a woman who could not be removed from that post by anything short of blasting powder. I had a post as a catechist during Covid as a stopgap. I was opposed because I was one of the only male catechists and then kicked to the curb when the woman felt safe enough to return.
Here’s a great piece.
Worthy to be shared in every diocese around the globe.
Men!
Lead your boys. Lead them!
https://www.thecatholicthing.org/2024/02/07/africas-rational-prejudice/
Agree with all here so far. But as the guy at PJ Media likes to say, not everything is awful. I offer this more optimistic note: the N.O. parish we have attended for the past several years is loaded with young families, across the ethnic spectrum, and the Dads are nearly always there with Mom and the kids. All but three of the 25 or so altar servers are boys, and there is a strong youth group that is organized for the purpose of fostering vocations to the priesthood and religious life. They don’t just have pizza and guitar parties, they read and study the lives of the Saints, meet regularly with seminarians, and several of their former number are in seminary now. The group has several girls who are discerning for the religious life, and they all wear chapel veils at Mass, receive Holy Communion on the tongue, and regularly go to Confession. I wish it were a TLM parish, but I’m quite happy with what we have, all things considered.
Great parishioners and parish Frank.
I’m happy for all of you.
You know, I was thinking about this post again as I was lifting weights at lunchtime (today was chest and abdominals). How about more woman power in the Church? How about women like Deborah and Ja’el and Judith and Esther and the Blessed Virgin Mary? How about women who hammer tent pegs into the heads of terrorists or chop them off? How about women who know how to navigate the halls of political power to get murderous maniacs impaled on 75-foot gallows? How about women who crush the heads of snakes, particularly the two footed kind in Congress, the USCCB, and the Vatican? I’m into woman power like that, by golly. That’s what I want to see!
Last I checked The Church has always been referred to as the Bride of Christ. A pretty obvious female nod. So Pope Francis pretending the Church is suddenly sexist and too masculine is a revelation.
This “let’s make the Church less masculine”, shows that the men are not bothered to lead. Let’s throw the responsibilities onto the women and relinquish our responsibilities as men. And in Pope Francis case he is trying to set the scene for future female ordinations. There is a reason he is trying to mess up centuries of status quo. I bet that’s exactly why he is starting on this drivel. Female priests!
I think the Pope wants the Church to be more feminine … but with less women!
On target prophecy, imho;
https://www.tfp.org/the-sanctuary-candle-has-burnt-out-just-as-our-lady-of-good-success-foretold/?PKG=TFPE3249E
Read the book “The Feminization of Christianity,” by Ledon Podles. The problem is centuries old.