Mulieris dignitatem

Mulieris dignitatem (Latin for "the dignity of women") is the title of the apostolic letter of August 15, 1988. Pope John Paul II published this letter on the dignity and vocation of women on the occasion of the Marian year 1987/88.

Image and likeness of God

In the apostolic letter Mulieris dignitatem , John Paul II wants to deepen the "basic truths" about men and women, their equality in dignity and the "unity of the two" (No. 6), he assumes that this unity is on the foundation the dignity of every human being Because, as the Pope writes, every person is made in the image of God according to the “image and likeness of God ” who created man “as man and woman” ( Gen. 1.27  EU ). The essential equality and calling of all people is derived from this common beginning.

The dignity of women

In Mulieris dignitatem , which is divided into nine chapters, Pope John Paul II clearly points to the special dignity of women in Christianity . He runs so that a that the dignity of women and their vocation were "constant theme of human and Christian reflection" and refers to previous statements of the Magisterium in the documents of Vatican II , the apostolic constitution Gaudium et Spes , the decree on the lay apostolate Apostolicam actuositatem and the post-synodal apostolic letter Christifideles laici . The Pope quotes a passage from the final message of the Second Vatican Council, which speaks of an hour that has already come, “in which the vocation of women is fully developed, the hour in which women unite in society Influence, a charisma, a position never reached before. At a time when mankind is experiencing such profound changes, women enlightened by the spirit of the Gospel can therefore actively help mankind not to deteriorate ”.

Calling, motherhood and virginity

In chapters III. and IV., John Paul II goes into detail on the "two individual dimensions of the calling of women in the light of divine revelation", that of motherhood and virginity. Both would find “their most sublime expression” in the Virgin and Mother of God, Mary.

Based on the image of God and the difference between the two sexes, which was already expressed in the creation accounts ( Gen 1.27  EU , Gen 2.18-25 EU ), John Paul II cites  this as the “basis of all Christian anthropology”. Man is the tip and crown of the entire order of creation and both sexes are created in the same degree in the image of God. In the "unity of the two" man and woman are called from the beginning to be there for one another. If man was created in the image of God, this also means that he is called to be there for others. This vocation applies to every person, whether man or woman, "who will probably realize them in their own particular way".

The creation account already emphasizes the spousal character, which forms the basis of the truth of virginity and motherhood as the two dimensions of a woman's vocation. On this basis he builds the following chapters “The Church - Bride of Christ” and “Love is greatest”, which he closes with thanks from the Church “for all the gifts of grace with which the Holy Spirit gave women in the history of God's people bestowed for all the victories she [the Church] owes to the faith, hope and love of women; she gives thanks for all the fruits of feminine holiness. "

At the same time, the Church asks that the gifts of women, with which they have been given by the Spirit “with great generosity”, may be recognized and appreciated, so that they may benefit the Church and humanity. With the prayer that “all women may find themselves and their 'highest calling' in this mystery”, John Paul once again presents the Blessed Mother to the believers. He closes his apostolic letter with thanks to the women “who - in fidelity to the Gospel - have always participated in the apostolic mission of the whole people of God. They are holy martyrs , virgins , mothers who boldly testify of their faith and, by bringing up their children in the spirit of the Gospel, have passed on the faith and tradition of the Church. ”The starting point of an intellectual dialogue must be gratitude. He continues: “In the Marian year the Church wants to give thanks to the Most Holy Trinity - for the mystery of women and for every woman, for what constitutes the eternal measure of her feminine dignity, for 'God's great deeds' that have taken place in the course of the Generations of people have happened in it and through it. After all, did not happen in her and through her what was one of the greatest things in human history on earth - the Incarnation of God himself? ”(No. 31).

Calling to the priesthood

In Mulieris dignitatem , in the chapter The Eucharist , John Paul II also deals with the calling of men to be apostles and priests: “When Christ called only men to be his apostles , he did so freely and independently. He did it with the same freedom with which he emphasized the dignity and vocation of women in his overall behavior, without complying with the prevailing customs and the tradition also approved by the legislation of the time [...] You are with us during the Last Supper Christ; in connection with the institution of the Eucharist they alone receive the sacramental mandate: Do this in memory of me! (Lk 22:19; 1 Cor 11:24). They receive the Holy Spirit on the evening of the day of the resurrection to forgive sins: Whom you forgive sins, they are forgiven; to whom you refuse forgiveness, it is refused (Jn 20:23) ”(No. 26).

If Christ had connected the Eucharist so explicitly with the priesthood of the apostles when it was instituted, one may “assume that he was in this way the God-willed relationship between man and woman, between the 'feminine' and the 'masculine', both in the mystery of creation as wanted to express in the mystery of redemption. "

Later, in the apostolic letter Ordinatio sacerdotalis of May 22, 1994, on ordination reserved for men only , John Paul II goes into greater detail on the subject of admitting women to priestly ordination and cites this passage from Mulieris Dignitatem in No. 2 .

Women's Congress on the 20th anniversary of Mulieris dignitatem

On February 9, 2008, the first international congress on “Women in Church and Society” ended in Rome with an audience of all participants with Pope Benedict XVI. On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the publication of the apostolic letter, the event with the title: “Man and woman, the abundance of humanity” brought together around 260 participants from 49 countries. The participants came to the following assessment:

“20 years after Mulieris Dignitatem, it is important to see what has changed and what still needs to be done; what perspectives are opening up, particularly with regard to women's identity and vocation. There is even more chaos of terminology today than 20 years ago. One defines at will what woman and what man means [...] The Church in general does not explain quite so concretely “how woman reflects God as woman. It is generally said that the woman is the image of God as a person - as a person who loves and thinks [...] she is presented as the image of God, who in his selfless devotion is also mother [...] The woman as his image, as mother, can be so strong and selfless because she reflects God in it. ""

literature

• Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace: Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church. German edition. Herder et al., Freiburg im Breisgau et al. 2006, ISBN 3-451-29078-2 .
• Theresia Heimerl , Other Beings. Women in church. Vienna u. a. 2015. pp. 74–85.

Web links

• Text of the Apostolic Letter Mulieris Dignitatem of Pope John Paul II on the dignity and vocation of women on the occasion of the Marian year
• Letter from Pope John Paul II to women around the world, ahead of the 1995 World Conference on Women

Individual evidence

1. ↑ The broadcast of the woman - symposium in Rome [1]  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.