In response to Mary Hallan FioRito’s article about women’s “equality” in the Catholic Church (WomenNews, Oct. 27), I too have been a Catholic all my life. My youngest daughter, while preparing for first Eucharist last year, upon hearing that only men were currently allowed to be ordained as priests in the Catholic Church, was stunned into silence. After a long pause she stated, “That’s not what Jesus would do.” Upon later reflection, she has asked why men can receive seven sacraments yet women can only receive six. Our children’s insights shape the future Catholic church. FioRito contends that women are participants in every level of Church life. Can she name for my children one woman bishop or perhaps a woman cardinal who helped elect our current pope? If the Catholic church teaches the equality and dignity of women, then it must practice what it preaches by including women in all its structures.
