Dispelling the Myth of Soulless Women

Dear Catholic Exchange,

I was told at a Catholic university which I used to attend, that the Church decided, and won by one vote, that women had souls. I was told that a Church council put the vote forward. How true is this claim which I find absolutely unbelievable!

Sarkis Archmar

Dear Sarkis Archmar,

Peace in Christ!

Perhaps you are referring to a false charge levied against a council of bishops held in 585 in Macon, France. History reveals that this charge actually originated with a young scholar in the sixteenth century, not in the minds of the officials of the Catholic Church.

It was apparently a hoax, in which this young teacher, using a play on the word “man” in Scripture, attempted to demonstrate that only adult males have souls. His arguments were laid out in a pamphlet and then distributed. Unfortunately, it fell into the hands of a Lutheran scholar who misconstrued this as representative of Catholic thought and issued a refutation. Both the “Catholic” pamphlet and its “Lutheran” refutation were spread throughout Europe. Eventually, a Lutheran minister in Germany attempted to give evidence that the official Church held this position by misquoting a statement of the bishops at the Council of Macon. However, the bishops never discussed whether women have souls, and thus had no reason to issue a statement on the topic. The article “Opinion: The Myth of Soulless Women,” by Michael Nolan provides further information regarding the historical context of this myth.

It is unfortunate that this story has been presented to you as historical fact, when it actually contradicts what an examination of the incriminated individuals and council reveals. In fact, the claim is not even logical. How could women be baptized if they do not have souls that needed to be cleansed from original sin? Yet women have been receiving baptism since the time of the Apostles. Further, how could women be revered as among those souls in heaven if they did not have immortal souls that could dwell in heaven? Yet the Church from the beginning has recognized that the souls of women are among the saints. In fact, Mary herself declared, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior” (Lk 1:46-47). She has been held in the highest regard since the birth of the Church, considered a model of holiness for all Christian men and women to imitate.

The Catholic Church has often been charged with having enslaved and oppressed women and with having been institutionally anti-woman.

The Church acknowledges that women have “all too often [been] humiliated and emarginated” [sic] and that their “rights have been trampled.” (This statement was made by Cardinal Francis Arinze in the March 12, 2000, in Universal Prayer for the Confession of Sins and Asking for Forgiveness).

Many Catholic officials and teachers were involved to some degree or another in that oppression. However, it does not follow that the Church is institutionally oppressive of women. One must take into account the social context in which these men and women were acting. Oppression is and was a societal and historical issue, not a dogmatic one. The ideas and conceptions that lead to various acts of oppression were significantly formed by their cultural experience and the popular thought of the time.

Unlike other societies, the Church is more than the people that comprise it. Christ instituted the Church and promised to sustain it. Because of His constant presence, the Church is not the sum of her members, but rather a divine institution. While her members may be sinners, she remains holy. This means that how various members of the Church behave is not necessarily reflective of the Church herself. The fact that some of her members have oppressed women does not mean that the Church as an institution oppressed women or supported their oppression. (For more on Christ’s Church, please refer to our Faith Fact, “One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic: The Marks of the Church.”)

In fact, in a number of ways the Church often afforded much more dignity to women than society was willing to give. Mary was always held up as a shining example of holiness. The Church has always been referred to as our mother. Both of these demonstrate a respect for women. In addition, many women have been canonized throughout history for leading lives of holiness. St. Teresa of Avila, St. Catherine of Siena, and St. Therese of Lisieux have been declared Doctors of the Church for their writings on prayer and holiness. St. Catherine of Siena was canonized in part for her courage in standing up to Church officials who behaved wrongly. St. Catherine went so far as to confront Pope Gregory XI, urging him to return the papal headquarters from Avignon, France, to Rome. St. Joan of Arc was another woman who was canonized in part for her bravery in standing up to unjust clerics and laymen.

In more recent years, Pope John Paul II has written and spoken repeatedly on the dignity of women. In 1988 he wrote an encyclical letter Mulieris Dignitatem: On the Dignity and Vocation of Women. He also wrote a Letter to Women (1995). Both are available at www.vatican.va. In addition, there is a compilation of statements by the Holy Father entitled John Paul II on the Genius of Women published by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). The USCCB also provides a list of statements made by the US Bishops. All of the publications listed can be ordered through the USCCB.

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