The Holy Father dedicated his weekly audience yesterday to St Joan of Arc. At the moment he is reflecting on the great women saints of the Middle Ages, which is wonderful. For one thing we will be reminded of the great role women have played in the history of the Church and counterbalance the radical feminist charge that all women were oppressed and enslaved by the Church.
Joan was what we in Ireland would call "a mighty woman". An Irishman would have deep respect (and Godly fear) of a woman atop a horse brandishing a sword and leading a battle charge (OK, she didn't have a sword, it was a banner with Holy Names of Jesus and Mary, but still, your average Irishman would respect that). The fact that she was fighting the English would also increase her chances of being voted "County Woman of the Year" (not that I could condone bloodthirsty battles against our brothers and sisters across the water). I do wonder what the English think of Joan of Arc (any thoughts friends in the UK)? I know Shakespeare, who, now thanks to a lot of recent persuasive evidence, was most likely a practising Catholic, painted her in very negative terms in his play Henry VI, Part 1, where she is the villain.
The Holy Father puts it well in describing her as one who sought true peace in justice between two Christian nations - Christian nations should respect each other, each other's borders, their peoples and freedoms. That she took up arms to enforce would be an interesting topic for reflection on the just war theory. Her condemnation by polticially motivated Catholic bishops resonates with us in these times as we deal with fallout caused by unfaithful bishops. Her martyrdom may provide the precedence for the declaration of martyrdom in the case of Savonarola who was executed by the dei Medici in Florence with the cooperation of Pop Alexander VI - Savonarola's Cause has been opened. I see our St Therese also gets a mention.
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