The Tenacious Voice of Women Rie Vendrik and the Pontifical Commission On Women in Society and in the Church

The Tenacious Voice of Women
Rie Vendrik and the Pontifical Commission On Women in Society and in the Church

by Dirkje Donders

Contents

This website makes use of PDF files that require Adobe Acrobat to read them.
Download a free copy of Acrobat Reader by clicking on the link below:

	Acknowledgements	1
	Introduction	3
	Chapter I Rie Vendrik, a short biography	5
I.1.	Years at Home:"Work hard and do your utmost"	5
I.2.	National Activity in the Lay Apostolate	6
I.2.1.	Full-time in the Catholic Young Womens’ Movement	6
I.2.2.	De Horstink	8
I.2.3.	Ecumenism	9
I.3	International Activity	10
I.3.1.	International Young Women's Movement	10
I.3.2.	Observer at the Second Vatican Council	12
I.3.3.	International Council of the Laity	12
I.3.4.	Pontifical Commission on Women in Society and the Church	13
I.4.	The last years of her life	13
I.5.	'A woman, gentle but strong'	14
	Chapter II The Awakening of Women in the Church	15
II.1.	The Feminist Movement in Society	15
II.1.1.	The first Feminist Wave (approx. 1870-1920)	15
II.1.2.	The Second Feminist Wave	15
II.2.	The Rediscovery of the Laity in the Church	17
II.3.	The Awakening of Women in the Church	18
II.3.1.	Historical Survey, ca. 1960-1975	18
II.3.2.	Vatican II and Papal Pronouncements	20
II.3.3.	Women in the Church Discover Each other	21
II.3.4.	Women in the Church in the Netherlands	23
II.3.5.	Dutch Pastoral Council and Women	24
II.4.	A Synod of Bishops with a 'Ticklish' Problem	24
	Chapter III A Pontifical Commission on Women: Hopeful Promise or Consolation Prize?	27
III.1.	The Announcement	27
III.2.	Memorandum	27
III.3.	Reactions	28
III.4.	The Commission Members	30
III.5.	Commentary	32
III.6.	The State of Church Politics	33
III.7.	Preparotory Meetings	35
III.8.	Commentary	37
	Chapter IV Plenary Meetings
IV.1.	The First Plenary Session	40
IV.1.1.	The Meeting of 15-18 November 1973	40
IV.1.2.	Commentary	46
IV.1.3.	The 'Group of Five'	47
IV.1.4.	What did the 'Group of Five' criticize	48
IV.1.5.	The 'Group of Five' continued	49
IV.1.6.	The Five Memoranda`	50
IV.2.	The Second Plenary Session	52
IV.2.1.	The Meeting of 28 February 3 March 1974	52
IV.2.2.	Commentary	55
IV.2.3.	The 'Group of Five'	56
IV.3	The Third Plenary Session	58
IV.3.1.	The Meeting of 20-25 June 1974	58
IV.3.2.	The Five Memoranda	64
IV.3.3.	Commentary	66
IV.3.4.	The ‘Group of Five’	68
IV.3.5.	The Letter to the Pope	68
	Chapter V Preparing the Final Report
V.1.	Report to the Synod of Bishops	71
V.2.	Commentary	71
V.3.	The ‘Group of Five’	73
V.4.	The Last Period	74
V.4.1.	The Fourth Plenary Session	75
V.4.1.1.	The Meeting of 2-5 December 1974	76
V.4.1.2.	Commentary	82
V.4.1.3.	The ‘Group of Five’	84
V.4.2	The Fifth Plenary Session	85
V.4.2.1.	The Meeting of 15-19 April 1975	85
V.4.2.2	Commentary	86
V.4.2.3.	The ‘Group of Five’	87
V.4.2.4.	The Minority Note	89
V.4.3.	The Sixth Plenary Session	93
V.4.3.1.	The Meeting of 26-31 January 1976	94
V.4.3.2.	Commentary	102
V.5.	Continuing Contact after January 1976	103
V.5.1.	The ‘Group of Five’	103
V.5.2	Commentary	104
V.5.3	Breaking the Silence: 1987	405
	Chapter VI Retrospective	107
	Literature	118
	Annexes	122