Uta Ranke-Heinemann on the Catholic Church Sexual Abuse Scandal

Anyone who is familiar with the work of German theologian Uta Ranke-Heinemann cannot be surprised by the growing scandal in the Catholic Church which is now directly engulfing the Vatican.  Ranke-Heinemann has the advantage of having been educated in Catholic theology at the University of Munich where she was a classmate and sometime-collaborator with Joseph Ratzinger. She went on to become the world's first woman professor of Catholictheology when she was given a church-appointed chair at the University
of Essen.  In 1987, the church declared Ranke Heinemann ineligible to teach,
after she declared the virgin birth to be a theological belief and not
a biological fact. She still holds a chair in religious studies at
Essen-a state chair. 

Her 1990 book Eunuchs for the Kingdom of God traces the movement for enforced celibacy through an ecclesiastical struggle lasting over 700 years. The doctrine of celibacy, Ranke-Heinemann convincingly argues, along with the banishment of women from leadership in the church, are at the core of the scandal that is wrecking the church today.  She elaborated on this last week in an interview in Die Zeit:

"Schuld ist die von der Kirche seit Jahrhunderten
praktizierte Vertreibung der Frauen. Dies hat auch in den biblischen
Texten seinen Niederschlag gefunden. In der ursprünglichen Übersetzung
des 1. Korintherbriefes 9,5 fragt Paulus zum Beispiel "habe ich nicht
das Recht eine Ehefrau auf den Reisen mitzunehmen wie die übrigen
Apostel und Petrus?" Von Zölibat kann hier keine Rede sein. Doch 1592
wurde diese Übersetzung geändert. Aus den Ehefrauen wurden Schwestern.
Und Papst Johannes Paul II. bezeichnete Gründonnerstag 1979 den Zölibat
als "apostolische Lehre" und die Apostel als "Lehrer des Zölibats".

Die monosexuelle Kirche mit ihren zwangsentsexualisierten Priestern
fördert die Pädophilie. Und solange es den Priestern nicht gestattet
ist zu heiraten, wird dieses Übel in den jetzigen Ausmaßen bestehen
bleiben."

(The root of the problem is the banishment of women, which the church has practiced for centuries.  This is also reflected in Biblical texts. In the original translation of 1 Corinthians 9 for example Paul asks "do I not have the right to take a wife along on travels like the other apostles and Peter?"  No reference here to celibacy. But this translation was revised in 1592.  Wives were changed to "sisters".  And on Maundy Thursday in 1979 Pope John Paul II characterized celibacy as an "apostolic teaching" and the apostles as "teachers of celibacy".

The monosexual church with the forced de-sexualization of priests promotes pedophilia. And as long as priests are not permitted to marry this evil will not abate one bit. )