Why aren’t feminists angry at Francis for his foot washing changes?

Pope-Francis-SmilingToday I muse about why catholic feminists (an oxymoron – emphasis on moron –  I know, but bear with me) are not vexed by Pope Francis and his dramatically public choice to wash the feet of non-Christians.

Think this through for them.

What the Lord did at the Last Supper was wash the feet of His Apostles. Not just any of His disciples. Not everyone in the street. What He did, He did for the sake of apostolic ministry.

catholic feminists have always wanted hierarchs to include women in the foot washing, but they understood – if not by reason, by emotion – that the Lord’s gesture was about apostolic ministry and therefore priesthood. They wanted to be included because they want women to be priests.

Then comes Francis.

For decades catholic feminists have been pushing for women to be included in the foot washing rite, because they wanted women to be ordained.  Little did they think that Francis would reason, “Well, if women, why not non-Christians?”

Francis blows the connection of apostolic ministry and foot washing out the window.

For Francis, washing feet is a gesture of kindness to everyone. It is not about apostolic ministry, it is about religious tolerance, welcome, mercy, [fill in a natural virtue]. It isn’t connected to the Faith. If non-Christians are included, then this isn’t an exclusively Christian deal.

And it certainly isn’t about ordination … of anybody.

So, I ask again, “Why aren’t catholic feminists having a fit that Francis washes the feet of non-Christians?”

That Francis, in addition to washing the feet of women, washes the feet of non-Christians he has, single-handedly, taken the feminist power of this symbolism off the table.

Or, perhaps that was exactly what he wanted to do….

By washing the feet of non-Christians, he enervated the catholic feminist agenda. The foot washing rite is no longer symbolically significant in their battle for the ordination of women.  The fact that the Pope authorized the inclusion of women in the foot washing robs feminist catholics of a primary symbol in their decades long struggle for ordination.

How many times is it again that Francis has said that women can’t be ordained?

Moderation queue is ON. I won’t even think of letting your comments through if you didn’t read more than the title and then think it through.

About Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Fr. Z is the guy who runs this blog. o{]:¬)
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