Women and gender roles at the Synod of Würzburg (1971-1975)

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Wilhelm Damberg
• Subject Area: Roman Catholic Theology
• Term: from 2013 to 2018
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 239436479

The Research Project is focusing on the question how the so-called Würzburger Synode, a Synod of the Roman Catholic Church in the Federal Republic of Germany held from 1971-1975, was positioning itself in relation towards the changing understanding of women and gender roles in the German society and in the Roman Catholic Church, and how the Synod tried to influence this process with respect towards norms and practical guidelines. The project begins with analyzing the important societal shifts on this field after the Second World War and also the shifts of the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church with regard to the traditional teaching in the period of the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965). The core question of the project is, however, whether these dispositions led to a new or changing view of woman and gender roles by the Synod, and how these transformations took place. The project is also including a research into the shaping of the document of the German Bishops Conference About Questions regarding the position of women in Church and society, which was published in 1981, because the origins of this document went back into the proceedings of the Synod. Consequently, the project is tracing the changes of the complete Seventies.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants