On April 3, at 6:30 p.m., nearly fifty people gathered in the heart of a private chapel in the 4th arrondissement of Paris.
In the religious building, everyone had come to attend a "feminist mass", a pioneering event in France, initiated by the Feminism in the Church collective.
A group of practicing Catholics, concerned with defending the rights of women in religion.
The idea was therefore simple: organize an inclusive ceremony by giving women the opportunity to read biblical texts, and in particular the Gospel - the writing relating the life of Jesus Christ traditionally read by a priest or a deacon.
In this sense, the homily also took the form of a free forum in favor of gender equality,
but also for LGBT people and divorcees.
“We wanted to live the liturgy differently, two members of the collective justify themselves today with
Madame Figaro
, on condition of anonymity.
Because if that day was the time for rejoicing, the days that followed were more tormented.
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"You are diabolical", "What a horror", "After the dinner of idiots, the mass of idiots" ... These are the comments, sent by email or on social networks in group shots, that the collective Féminisme en Church.
“From the day after the mass, we were the target of a real wave of hatred, deplores one of the members of the group.
We find it difficult to understand, there was no desire to provoke anyone, the texts have not been modified.
These people know nothing of what really happened that day...”.
Above all, in the comments, an inclusive poster with a “blasphemous character” for some, relayed on “traditionalist” sites such as Fdesouche or Riposte Catholique.
Indeed, in order to promote their gathering,
flyers
urging participants to come and celebrate: “God.e”.
A feminization which provoked the ire of their detractors.
Faced with this agitation, Feminism in the Church then learned, two days later, of its exclusion from the parish of Saint-Pierre de Montrouge through a simple missive on the site of the constituency.
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The poster for the “feminist mass”, held on April 3, 2022 in Paris.
Feminism in the Church
In a press release published on April 5, the Diocese of Paris justified its decision to dismiss the religious collective, assuring its faithful that they had never been informed of this regrouping.
In his message, Father Denis Branchu explained that "the parish logo" had been used without his authorization on the poster in question, regretting that "this young team probably lacked experience and discernment". .
And to conclude: “She also lacked transparency.
No doubt I did not know how to accompany them as I had to.
Contacted by
Madame Figaro
, the Diocese of Paris did not respond to our requests.
A public explanation which did not convince the collective Feminism in the Church, ensuring for its part that it had never failed in its duty of honesty.
“Reading this post was very hard, because to the violence of the insults was added the violence of the procedure, explain to us their two representatives.
We never wanted to hide this event, it was part of a continuity, it was anecdotal.
As always, we sent an email to our list of members to inform of its date, and Father Branchu was one of them.
He knew about it."
Thus, nearly a month after this decision and following their numerous attempts at reconciliation, the group certifies it: this mass was ultimately "only a pretext for their eviction".
ignore each other to live together
Since its creation in 2020, and its attachment to the parish of Saint-Pierre de Montrouge in September of the same year, the collective officiated in “the indifference of priests”.
Founded by eighty-somethings from the EVEN formation (School of the Eternal and New Word), offered in fifteen Parisian parishes to prepare young people to "commit their life to the Church", the group endeavored to offer a space for dialogue and of reflection within its Christian community, by establishing weekly events around the issue of women in religion.
“We were born in the middle of a pandemic and yet the craze was there.
We were nearly 50 people at each group, ”they say.
Conference with theologians, debates, readings, informal meetings, viewing of documentaries:
“Who decides what in the Church?
How can you fire a collective followed by nearly 250 members without notifying them?
»
Feminism in the Church
“We felt very free in our movements, but the cohabitation with the rest of the parish worked in ignorance, remembers Feminism in the Church.
Everyone has different opinions and the relationship to feminism is very different depending on the generation.
We felt that within the parish we tensed more than one with this term”.
Disturbing for some, “irritating” for others, the women of this collective point all the more to the unilateral sanction of which they have been the target, which they take personally.
"That raises a real question, doesn't it?
Who decides what in the Church?
How can a collective followed by nearly 250 members be fired without notifying them?, continues one of the members, relying, on the contrary, on the latest report from Ciase (October 2021),
highlighting the extent and the omerta linked to pedocrime in the Church.
“Besides that, we see that the hierarchical organization can, if the ideas of their baptized do not please them, fire them without any discussion”, she relaunches, pointing the finger at a form of injustice.
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At a time when the Church promises more "synodality" to its faithful, modus operandi consisting in creating a "Church for all" more open to individual differences, the exclusion of Feminism in the Church revives an archaic debate: that of the place of women in Christianity.
“There is still far too much resistance to this question.
Look, we managed to talk about it for what?
A year and a half ?
Then the ax fell, triggering rare forms of violence”, deplores the group, which is still awaiting a response from the Diocese of Paris, after their request to make an appointment.
And to conclude: “The Church has failed in its duty to maintain its unity in diversity.
It's sad and heartbreaking."
In addition to criticism, however, many associations have publicly supported the collective.
This is particularly the case of "All Apostles", some of whose members were present during the feminist mass.
“We will continue to stand with them for the equality of all in our Church, faithful to His command,” he wrote in a message published on April 7.