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POINTS OF CONVERGENCE
The boat was still docked. I had gotten there early, hoping to find a spot on the
upper deck where I could get a clear view of the ceremony below. Once in
my seat, I was able to properly survey my surroundings. A makeshift altar stood
on the lower deck with banners hung behind it: “Women as Priests—Nothing
New!” Next to the entrance was a table covered with calendars, pamphlets,
and bookmarks with pictures of flaking ancient mosaics, accompanied by
explanations of what these mosaics meant in terms of women’s roles in the
early church. Looking out the window next to me, I saw that a small group
of protesters had gathered on the dock holding signs: “Jesus Was a Man” and
“Women Obey Priests.”
It was the first American ordination ceremony of a group called Roman
Catholic Womenpriests, held this past July in Pittsburgh. As the name suggests,
women who are members believe that they are called by God to become
Roman Catholic deacons and priests. Since the Vatican maintains a staunch
opposition to such claims, the ceremonies and the ordinations they claim to
perform are hotly contested among church officials and members of the laity.
All such ceremonies take place on boats, a characteristic the group associates
with the fluidity and change it is working to effect in church policy. Sitting on
the boat that day (literally seeing both sides of the issue), I thought about the
privileging of viewpoints that often occurs in discussions about religion. Who,
for example, is better able to judge the nature of religion—the academic or
the believer What constitutes more valid evidence—text or archaeology What
group has the right to effect changes of policy—religious officials or the laity
In the end, how fluid is religious truth
Ziggurat is an attempt to break down those dichotomies and create a space
where these divergent voices can come into conversation with each other. In
light of our project, the words of a fellow spectator at the ceremony become
all the more meaningful. While the boat sailed up and down the three rivers
of Pittsburgh, a Presbyterian minister sitting next to me explained the curious
hydrography of the area. While many people know that the city is built on the
convergence of the Ohio, Allegheny, and Monangahela Rivers, fewer are aware
of a fourth, underground river. At the spot where all four converge, city planners
built a public park with a large fountain tapped into the waters of this fourth
river. This spot belonged to everyone. Maybe as someone who studies religion,
she said, I would be able to understand the significance of that. -K.S.