Vatican II and Feminism: Recovered Memories and Refreshed Hopes

While the Second Vatican Council may have never used the word feminism in its documents, the decision to invite twenty-three women auditors to its third and fourth sessions began a trajectory of women’s participation in theology and official church life that cannot be underestimated. The work of M. Carmel McEnroy and Catherine Clifford, as well as recent archival research, has recovered the informal but influential role these women played during the council. Yet possibly the most significant achievement of Vatican II for women was that it afforded them the chance to become theologians and participate in the development of ‘‘feminist theologies.’’ The article traces the historical evolution of feminist theologies as ‘‘contextual’’ theologies, narrating how its projects embrace both ‘‘modern’’ and ‘‘postmodern’’ sensibilities. Given the recent call of Pope Francis for a ‘‘more incisive female presence in the church,’’ new hopes have arisen for what many in the church have considered a stalled trajectory of women’s inclusion and participation in decision-making. The ‘‘pattern dynamics’’ of the next fifty years will tell whether or not Catholic women will finally cross the threshold to authentic baptismal equality in the church.