POPE APOLOGIZES FOR HOW CHURCH HAS CAST WOMEN

By Diego Riveria, Globe Staff

TUESDAY, July 11, 1995

In a strongly worded letter issued yesterday, Pope John Paul II apologized to the world's women for the Roman Catholic Church's role in blocking their advancement, denounced sexual violence and job discrimination and praised the women's liberation movement.

The letter, issued in advance of a United Nations conference on women in September and addressed to women of all faiths, marks the first time in his 16-year pontificate that the pope focused extensive positive attention on aspects of the women's movement.

Even some of the church's most outspoken critics were surprised by the content of the letter.

''The pope's apology for the church's part in discrimination against women is extraordinary and unprecedented,'' said Frances Kissling, president of the Washington-based Catholics for a Free Choice.

The pope acknowledged that throughout history the Catholic church has not been immune to the conditioning that has kept women oppressed.

''Women's dignity has often been unacknowledged and their prerogatives misrepresented; they have often been relegated to the margins of society and even reduced to servitude,'' the 19-page letter states. ''And if objective blame, especially in particular historical contexts, has belonged to not just a few members of the Church, for this I am truly sorry.''

The pope said the church seeks to ''promote the cause of women in the Church and in today's world.'' Abandoning the often harsh criticisms he has leveled against feminists, the pope instead struck a conciliatory tone, celebrating what he termed the ''genius of women.''

But while noting the many important roles women play, the pope reiterated his staunch opposition to abortion, even in cases of rape, and defended the church's opposition to women priests.

Referring to rape, the pope wrote that ''the choice to have an abortion always remains a grave sin.'' He added, however, that rape ''is a crime for which guilt needs to be attributed to men and to the complicity of the general social environment.''

Critics said the pope's stance on abortion contradicts his intent to be sensitive to women's rights. ''One cannot say women have equal dignity while refusing to recognize women's capacity to make good decisions about when and whether to have children,'' Kissling said.

The pope said the church's prohibition against women joining the priesthood is based on the fact that Jesus Christ freely and willingly chose only men to be his apostles.

But the bulk of the letter was devoted to extolling the virtues of women, and some theologians said the statement reflected an evolution in the pope's attitude toward women.

''I think he realizes that for people to accept the tough teachings on issues like abortion and the priesthood he has got to be much stronger on issues that make it possible for women to live a decent life,'' said Patricia McGuire, president of Trinity College in Washington.

In some parts, the papal letter read almost like a tract from the women's movement.

''As far as personal rights are concerned, there is an urgent need to achieve real equality in every area: equal pay for equal work, protection for working mothers, fairness in career advancement, equality of spouses with regard to family rights and the recognition of everything that is part of the rights and duties of citizens in a democratic state.''

This is in stark contrast to statements the pope made as recently as 1993 when, in a meeting with US bishops, he decried the ''bitter ideological'' feminisim among some American women. He warned of its pagan overtones, including ''forms of nature worship and the celebration of myths and symbols'' that were unChristian.

Asked yesterday at a news conference at the Vatican if the letter meant the pope was a feminist, Cardinal Eduardo Francisco Pironio said, ''He's not a feminist nor a masculinist. But he accents certain historical points that weren't noticed before, certain rights that weren't supported.''

Some theologians and Vatican observers saw the letter as an attempt by the pope to set the tone for the UN Conference on Women to be held in Beijing.


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