Rabbi Arthur Waskow, writing for the Shalom Center, reflects on whether it is appropriate for Jewish authorities to call Pope Francis and the Roman Catholic Church out over the inequality of women in the church.
Should rabbis who strongly support the Pope’s strong stand on the climate crisis be silent about his failure to address the question of women in a similarly deep and serious way?
Or is it a matter for the church alone?
Waskow has a few reasons for thinking that his first reaction – that this is a matter of justice for all people – was well-founded, and he finds that he has a particular responsibility as a rabbi to address the matter.
Th[e] male-chauvinist theology of the Church has its roots in misinterpretation of Torah 2,000 years ago among some in the emerging rabbinic community that included Jesus himself and some of his early followers, even before “Christianity” existed.
To the extent that ancient rabbinic misinterpretation contributed to that result, rabbinic thought and action in our own day is obligated to correct the mistake — among Jews and among Christians.
From Genesis to the Song of Songs and the commandments of the Torah, Waskow argues that he and his fellow rabbis have no choice but to offer their criticism. Read the whole story here.
What do you think: is it any of our business?
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