When the famous rock star Rihanna appeared this spring at the famous Met Gala, which is organized once a year by the famous New York's Metropolitan Museum, dressed as a pope, or more precisely papisa, as it is called for a woman who could carry the title of Roman Pontifex maximus, it was left unfinished what did she want to say to the public? Ordinary glamor and the desire to be different from the others, or it was a more serious meta-message, that the time has come for a woman to head the great Catholic ecumenism. Anyway, just now, a photo of Rihanna's papis has gone viral.
The idea that more women should reach important church positions in the Catholic hierarchy is not new, of course. In tact with gender awareness and the increase of the true will to organize the world on other, more women-friendly principles - especially after the revolutionary 68-year - the intellectuals of the Catholic world have sharpened their stance and continued to insist that members of the female sex get more real influence. Enough of peeling potatoes and standing by the stove, it seemed that new times had come in which they would use their abilities differently. And yet, patriarchal bastions have proven to resist, revolutions come and go, and some things change slowly or not at all.
What women in the Catholic world make every now and then as a request, in the Protestant world has already been largely realized. In 1916, more than 100 years ago, in Denmark, the young Rigmor Larssen passed her last exam at the University of Copenhagen and received the diploma of the first female theologian. It was a precedent that had planetary significance. However, things did not go easily and without resistance in this part of the world either.
When in 1948, that is, shortly after the Second World War, no less than three women were ordained as practicing priests, the resistance in the Danish church itself was strong, but not enough to prevent the decades-long effort not only of women, but also of the Danish parliament itself to in practice, which means in all areas of social life, implement the Law on Gender Equality to the end. First of all, in the church and the army, since other sectors have already accepted and benefited from this new, more women-friendly gender policy. Today, several decades later, half of the Danish clergy are women and few seriously question gender equality in the Danish National Church (Dansk Folkekirke). And the vast majority of male colleagues accepted the new trends as welcome and refreshing.
No one mentions the argument that gender inequality in the church is based on the fact that Jesus Christ himself was a man, and that this is the main reason for preserving its patriarchal structure. Even more, this argumentation is labeled as having been greatly outdone. The very end of the 20th century was met with praiseworthy success: out of a total of ten episcopal positions, five are held by women. Today, they are also priestesses in the army. As many as 95 of them are connected to this sector and they form an important part of military logistics. Socially relevant public debates almost always have one of the female practicing priests as a guest - the popular and always belligerent Sørine Gotfredsen, or the tiny and feminine Kathrine Lillør.
What and how much did women-priests in this part of the world contribute to the church as an institution and to the consolidation of Christianity as a religion in a time when atheism and skepticism became everyday, and religion by definition became the private matter of each person? This question can be answered in a long tract, but also briefly in a few words: women have brought more understanding and empathy to the actions of each member of the church, as well as to all those individuals who have problems finding their way in our complex and numerous dilemmas densely dotted world.
To what extent Western European values and especially mini-revolutions in all important sectors of social life are something that is acceptable to us in our Balkan areas, always remains an open question. Croatian women intellectuals, those inside, as well as those outside the church environment, it seems that they would still like more changes. The ones that would put them in the orbit of a more modern, feminine values-friendly church. Although there are no indications that there will be a broader social discussion about a relevant issue as recently in the Irish case regarding the issue of free abortion, there is a certain ferment here as well. Admittedly, these are more the intellectual excesses of disaffected Croatian intellectuals who would like faster boarding on the train of modernity in all fields, including church and religious ones. Whether it will be a signal for the Catholic Church that something needs to be changed, we will see.
The Orthodox Church, as things stand today, has not formally changed its position on the women's issue. They still cannot enter some monasteries on the Holy Mountain, nor can they exercise the duties of parish priests. And yet, on the ground, things are much different, especially in the diaspora, where distinctly female church organizations have become the main lever of its functioning and an important pillar of its presence in the lives of a large part of ordinary believers.
Unexpectedly, even for the Orthodox Church itself, the fall of Communism strengthened its influence so much that it had to adapt quickly and on the fly to the new times: recruit new, younger clergy more adept at using social networks, and accept various social groups under its wing, among which women are numerous.
It may not be realistic to expect that radical changes will come about with some spectacular act, some document that the Patriarch of the Serbian Orthodox Church will bring and announce publicly, but there is no doubt that things are changing on the ground. It will certainly be a shame if the Orthodox churches, organized on a national basis, do not feel the spirit of the times and leave the women's issue aside under the pretext that there are more important problems today.
We will end this text with another Scandinavian innovation in this field. An innovation that can be inspiring for other Christian churches.
Offensive Islamic fundamentalism, which even in this part of the world is thought-provoking and gives many a headache, has resulted in the latest attempt to counterbalance its machismo by activating feminism among the same population. A few women in the capacity of imam addressed the faithful - only women, at the Friday prayer. The prayer, which even here, in this part of the world, has its weight and is echoed throughout the rest of the working week.
There is no doubt that the Danish state and society are behind everything, and yet, it is important to see if such a pilot project can serve as a precedent. And above all, can it inspire the female population within Islam to move and change things from within.
Of course, the political establishment warmly hopes that everything will not remain on the press photos gladly presented here, in which French President Macron was caught drinking coffee with Sherin Khankan during his visit to Denmark. Because Sherin Khankan is no one, she is the first female imam. And that in all of Scandinavia, as they are happy to point out here, not without pride.
Bonus video:
