Chile bishop resigns after suggesting there is a reason the Last Supper had no women

A Chilean auxiliary bishop, Carlos Eugenio Irarrazaval, appointed by Pope Francis less than a month ago has resigned, just weeks after he made controversial comments about the lack of women in attendance at the Last Supper.

The archdiocese of Santiago did not specify the reasons for Irarrazaval’s departure in its statement, but said the pope had accepted the bishop’s resignation “in favour of unity and for the good of the church”.

The bishop’s short tenure began with a television interview in May, in which he said there were no women seated at the table at the Last Supper and that “we have to respect that”.

“Jesus Christ made decisions and they were not ideological ... and we want to be faithful to Jesus Christ,” he said in reference to the lack of women in attendance.
He said that perhaps women “like to be in the back room”.

According to the Bible, the Last Supper was Jesus’ last meal with his disciples before his crucifixion, depicted in many famous works of art.

The comments sparked a backlash among women’s groups and critics of the church in Chile at a time when confidence in church leadership in the once staunchly Catholic nation has plummeted.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jun/15/chile-bishop-resigns-after-suggesting-there-is-a-reason-the-last-supper-had-no-women