Was Pope John Paul II Anti-Woman?
| Mary Beth Bonacci | “If you don’t know the answer to this one, you don’t know JPII” Print-friendly version I’m tired of the bad rap JPII has been getting when it comes to the subject of women in the Church. In the wake of his death, I saw very few mainstream media stories about him that didn’t mention something about his “refusal” to ordain women, or his “mixed legacy” regarding women’s role in the Church, or some other comment implying that he was less that supportive of women and their role in the Church. The most disingenuous piece I saw was written by a well-known writer and nominal Catholic (who will remain unnamed for the moment). He wrote about how John Paul II, in his writings, “limited” the role of women to either virgin or mother, and that women’s destiny was controlled by their biology. He said that, in the worldview of the Holy Father, women were to remain “barefoot and pregnant,” having no real role in public life. Poppycock. I call this particular writer “disingenuous”
