Frances Kissling, president of Catholics for a Free Choice, says Pope John Paul II has missed an
historic opportunity to include Catholic women in determining the future of the Church.
"Catholic women are braced for a repetition of a message that on the one hand lauds us for having a 'special
genius' and on the other hand claims that our decisions to use contraception, to seek an abortion when pregnancy
is insupportable or to try to conquer our problem of infertility are signs of a 'culture of death.'
"But the struggle of Catholic women to convince this Pope that we can, and do, make good decisions about
when and whether to bring life into the world -- to wrest from him an affirmation of our moral agency, a sign of
trust in our wisdom about life and motherhood -- is small potatoes when one reflects on the failures of this
papacy.
"Rather, we need to acknowledge the increasing sadness that many Catholics feel about a papacy that, at a
critical time in the history of both the Church and the world, has missed all opportunities to speak to our deepest
needs. This Pope's tragic shortsightedness, coupled with an authoritarian streak, has led him to close the window
of opportunity so brilliantly opened by John XXIII.
"Believing that uniformity is the same as unity, he has shut out all Catholics who have dared to differ, to doubt, to
dream. In a time when so many Catholics, as well as non-Catholics, seek to discover the meaning of faith in our
time, hunger for guidance rather than mandates, struggle to be part of a conversation rather than recipients of a
monologue, this Pope has offered little of value. We all deserved and needed so much more."
How do you feel about the Pope?
