Catholic women in France fight for greater equality and influence in the Church

Without them, no parish could work. They prepare ceremonies, take care of the churches and accompany the duel.

Even so, they continue to be excluded from decision -making in the Catholic Church, leadership and altar.

Now, for the first time, Catholic women throughout France are on strike.

“Fast against sexism”

“Catholic woman on strike,” says the little badge in Mathilde’s coat. He uses it along with another that says “fasting against sexism.”

The 32 -year -old lawyer, a frequent assistant of the Church in Paris, is abundant and decided to join the movement.

“The idea is really protesting, during these 40 days of Lent, expressing a deep misunderstanding about the place of women in church today,” he tells Euronews.

At first, the Mass is totally boycotted. “But then I thought: I will, but I will use this badge and try to promote the debate,” he adds.

The movement, which began on March 5 and will continue until April 17, takes place during Lent, 40 days of reflection and sacrifice before Easter.

In France, the protest is directed by the Jupe Committee, the Committee of Skirt – A feminist Catholic association that has been fighting since 2009 for greater gender equality in the Church.

According to the organization, women perform about 80% of the essential work in the parishes.

Other women are finding different ways to participate, from praying outside the walls of the Church to refusing to donate money or simply get away from unpaid tasks.

“In addition to strictly masculine governance, we have a reality on the ground where women are everywhere. The churches are full of women, whether they are parishioners, volunteers or in the pulpit. They are everywhere, but they have this glass roof, which means that they cannot have access to certain responsibilities,” said Adéline, co -Press of the Saia Committee.

In France alone, the skirt committee says that it now has more than 300 active members and is growing.

The French Association joined an international movement launched by the Women’s Planning Conference, based in the United States, an organization that struggles for the ordination of deacons, priests and bishops in the Catholic Church.

“It is a kind of emergency response to decades of inaction,” Adéline tells the Euronews.

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“There were working groups, commissions, reports and nothing has changed. Therefore, this strike is an urgent cry: stop speaking, stop writing documents. We act.”

“There is a real fear of losing power”

Until now, the official response of the bishops has been the total silence.

Although there were small signs of progress, namely, the Appointment of the first woman mayor From the state of the city of the Vatican: activists say it is not enough.

Even after the devastating 2022 report of the Independent Commission of Sexual Abuse of the Church in France, which appealed to greater female representation in the leadership of the Church, has changed little.

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But within the institution, some like Antoine Guggenheim are expressing their support.

“When I heard the movement for the first time, I thought: What a great idea! When you are an activist, you need to have impact ideas,” says the Catholic father of Paris.

“But it is true that when I talk about these problems with other priests, it is complicated. There is a real fear of losing power. And the opinions are very divided,” he adds to Euronews.

For many women, this perspective is precisely what the Church needs.

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“We are not trying to get anything,” says Caroline, a volunteer who helps prepare ceremonies in a parish.

“We just want to show that there is nothing to fear moving on. We all have a place.”