Woman in front of the Pont. Biblical Commission: “There is a good quarry of biblical women”

In 2021 the Pope has given three positions of responsibility to women in the Vatican.

One of them is Nathalie Becquart, who since February is number 2 of the Synod of Bishops.

The other is Magistrate Catia Summaria, the Vatican’s first prosecutor.

Finally, at the beginning of March, Francis left the Pontifical Biblical Commission in the hands of Nuria Calduch-Benages. Technically the position is “secretary” but it is equivalent to an executive director, since the president is always the prefect for the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

NURIA CALDUCH-BENAGES
Secretary, Pontifical Biblical Commission
“Behind these appointments I believe that there is great interest and great commitment to favor the presence of women in institutions like the Church, which are old institutions, institutions that cost them change.”

Nuria Calduch-Benages recalls that the Pontifical Biblical Commission has existed since 1902 but that until 2014 no women entered. There were 3. Now there are 5 for a group made up of about twenty people. And he says more will probably come in time, because there are good scholars.

NURIA CALDUCH-BENAGES
Secretary, Pontifical Biblical Commission
“The beginnings were in other times but Biblical women have existed for 30 or 40 years, that is to say, there is a good quarry. There are many and of great value. In other words, the first three of us only entered this commission in 2014, this already says a lot, it says a lot about how slow the Church is in making changes and making changes ”.

Nuria Calduch-Benages recalls that the news of her appointment came as a surprise.

NURIA CALDUCH-BENAGES
Secretary, Pontifical Biblical Commission
“Well, I was really surprised because I honestly didn’t expect it. We are 20 in the committee and the last thing I was going to think was that they were going to appoint me, I must be completely honest. I thought of some other colleague who seemed suitable to me for the position, but when I received him I said ‘Oh my God’ ”.

The Pontifical Biblical Commission has been the author of this study published in 2019 “What is man?”, Which at the request of the Pope analyzed the Bible from an anthropological point of view.

Nuria Calduch-Benages also participated in the first commission charged with studying the role of women in the first centuries of Christianity.

Today he also teaches at the Gregorian University in Rome and works at the Pontifical Biblical Institute.

Javier Romero/ Romereports.com