The Author

Naureen Akhtar

This reflection was first shared on Naureen Akhtar’s Facebook page and is published here with her byline.

Rosemary Radford Ruether (1936–2022) was a pioneering Catholic feminist theologian who challenged the systematic exclusion of women from Christian history and theology. Rather than passively accepting tradition, she returned to early Christian sources and highlighted women’s leadership in the Church.

She drew attention to remarkable forgotten women and their significant contributions. She openly questioned why women were often silenced when Scripture itself portrays them as leaders, teachers and proclaimers of faith. She argued that centuries of translation and reinterpretation had diminished women’s contributions.

Through her influential writings, Ruether connected women’s oppression with wider systems of domination, including:

Source: Naureen Akhtar’s Facebook post. Photo: courtesy of Naureen Akhtar.