KCP - Catholic Diocese of Broome

Some time ago a friend took me to a local deli to buy some cakes for some ladies in an office we were visiting. As we looked through the glass display my friend set his beady eye on an inviting chocolate cake while I mused over an attractive banana cake. "Who's it for?" demanded the imposing shop assistant, obviously bored with our hesitation. "It's for some ladies in an office" blurted out my friend in an obedient tone. In a voice that defied contradiction the confident salesperson announced "Ladies like carrot cake!" With that she scooped up a few pieces and began to shovel them into a cardboard box. "I like chocolate cake and maybe some ladies do too" said my friend with a note of rising defiance in his voice. "Let's have some chocolate cake too," I said in a hasty attempt to retrieve the situation. With bludgeoning determination she added chocolate cake to the package and put her hand out for payment.
On the way to the office we decided to set out chocolate cake and carrot cake on a plate, then sit back and see what choices the ladies made. Curiosity dictated we find out if the deli worker was right. Do ladies like carrot cake or are they less predictable than that?
The ladies arrived for morning tea at the appointed hour. The first one took a piece of carrot cake. 'The deli doyen was right!' I thought. The second lady took a piece of chocolate cake. My friend was elated. The Deli dilettante was wrong! Or was she? Quite obviously ladies, according to this limited sampling at least, do indeed like carrot cake but they also like chocolate cake. Many following forays by the office group proved no particular preference by ladies for carrot cake or chocolate cake. They enjoyed them both until everything was gone.
The promotion of conflict between the sexes in recent decades has been particularly damaging to social harmony in western society. Radical Feminists alone haven't always been to blame for actions that have led to this parlous state of affairs but they have ruthlessly constructed a philosophy that has left scars on the nation's psyche and indeed on the faith and culture of the Church. A warped sense of freedom and subjective rights has been a catch-cry of too many feminist groups. The resultant diminishment has led to the devaluation of the worth of women raising families and being homemakers. Sadly, it has also contributed to the scourge of abortion, which in Australia presently stands at around one hundred thousand per annum.
Cardinal Ratzinger's Letter to the Bishops on the Collaboration of Men and Women in the Church and in the World challenges feminists who promote conflict between the sexes. Importantly it emphasizes that women should be present in the world of work, in positions of responsibility and not considered from the sole perspective of physical procreation. The Cardinal has called for an active collaboration between the sexes based on the differences between men and women and on their common humanity, having been created in the image of God.
Recognising that women play a unique "role of maximum importance in the Church's life" the Cardinal's text promotes the need for justice for all women. Not just some.
The Cardinal's letter brought balance to the gender debate. Those who study it will realise what sense and justice there is in what he has to say. For the sake of seeking harmony and gleaning a mature appreciation of the complexity of the gender issues, his document is vital reading. (see Website: www.vatican_va.)