Jesuit complains the Church does not include enough women in leadership roles
The former head of the German Jesuits has said the Catholic Church is too 'monarchical' and that women are not included enough in leadership.
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Mon Jun 1, 2026 - 10:51 am EDT
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(LifeSiteNews) — The former head of the German Jesuits said the Catholic Church is too “monarchical” and that women are not included enough in leadership.
Fr. Stefan Kiechle served as provincial of the German province of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) from 2010 until 2017. Since 2018, he has been editor-in-chief of the cultural magazine Stimmen der Zeit and delegate for Ignatian spirituality for the German Jesuits.
In the latest issue of Stimmen der Zeit, Kiechle lamented that leadership in the Catholic Church has been “monarchical.”
“A parish priest has the final say in the parish,” he said. “A bishop decides whether or not to implement in his diocese what is decided by the Bishops’ Conference or by a body that may be organized on a synodal basis.”
He also criticized the idea of the Pope making decisions for the universal Church: “He appoints decision-makers; he enacts laws, adjudicates disputes, and applies the law at his discretion — according to the classical doctrine of the separation of powers, the legislative, judicial, and executive branches are all combined in one.” In political theory, such a constitution is defined as an absolute monarchy — “the Holy See is the last of its kind in Europe,” according to the Jesuit.
READ: German bishops vote for ‘women’s ordination,’ ask Pope ‘to decide how to proceed’
Kiechle also called for greater participation of women in ecclesiastical leadership. “Women make up the (larger) half of the Church’s membership, yet their involvement in leadership — not only in administration but also in shaping the substance of church life — has been very limited,” he stated.
“The fact that women are given mid-level leadership roles in individual cases in dioceses and at the Vatican does not solve the problem, because higher-ranking clergy continue to hold authority over them,” the Jesuit added. Many women, “especially educated ones,” are frustrated and withdrawing into their own circles or leaving the Church altogether, he claimed.
“Is the current constitution (of the Church) truly God-given?” Kiechle asked.
“What cannot be communicated — or can no longer be communicated — to broad segments of the Church is unlikely to be the work of the Holy Spirit and should not be done,” he asserted.
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According to the Jesuit, the two most pressing issues for a “contemporary leadership” of the Church are those of lay participation and women. “How can the monarchical principle be broken down so that more people can participate in leadership?” Kiechle asked.
The former head of the German province of the Jesuits said that a global decision is not needed to make changes. “No, we could proceed in a decentralized manner by having ‘Rome’ grant the bishops’ conferences — or, better yet, local synodal bodies — the freedom to take the first steps forward,” he suggested.
For religious orders, the following already applies: “Women’s orders are led by women — hopefully without interference from male superiors — and men’s orders by men.” The “frustration” women have experienced so far is therefore “found more in the diocesan and global Church,” according to Kiechle.
The monarchical constitution is an essential feature of the Catholic Church and was divinely instituted by Jesus Christ himself when he gave “the keys to the kingdom” to the apostle Peter, whose successors are the popes. It can therefore not be “reformed,” as Fr. Kiechle suggested.
Pastor Aeternus, the Dogmatic Constitution of the First Vatican Council, confirms this perennial teaching:
And so, supported by the clear witness of Holy Scripture, and adhering to the manifest and explicit decrees both of our predecessors the Roman Pontiffs and of general councils, we promulgate anew the definition of the ecumenical Council of Florence, which must be believed by all faithful Christians, namely that the holy Apostolic See and the Roman Pontiff hold a world-wide primacy, and that the Roman Pontiff is the successor of blessed Peter, the prince of the apostles, true vicar of Christ, head of the whole Church and father and teacher of all Christian people. To him, in blessed Peter, full power has been given by our lord Jesus Christ to tend, rule and govern the universal Church. All this is to be found in the acts of the ecumenical councils and the sacred canons.
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- Catholic
- Catholic Church
- Feminism
- Gender
- German Church
- Germany
- Holy See
- Jesuit
- Jesuits
- Monarchy
- Stefan Kiechle
- Vatican
- Women
- Women In Leadership Roles
