Is the Church Becoming an 'Eunuch'?

A symbolic reflection in the context of the Whore of Babylon, Sodom and Gomorrah, and the feminization of our society. In a time when traditional gender roles are increasingly blurred and society is experiencing a pervasive feminization, the question arises whether the Catholic Church is also succumbing to this trend. Symbolically, this could be described as a transformation into a "eunuch"—a being deprived of its masculine potency, powerless and sterile.

This metaphor draws on biblical imagery: the Whore of Babylon from the Book of Revelation as a symbol of corrupt, seductive power, and Sodom and Gomorrah as the epitome of divine punishment for sin and moral decay. Is the Church on the path to emasculating itself in a feminized world?

This article examines this thesis by considering historical, theological, social, and now also depth-psychological developments—with Carl Gustav Jung as the key. For the crisis of the Church is not merely cultural, but archetypal. It concerns the collective unconscious, the repression of the animus, and the inundation by a toxic anima. It embraces politically incorrect insights—as long as they are well-founded.

The Feminization of Society: A Cultural Shift

Our modern society is undergoing a phase of what critics call "complete feminization." Traditional masculinity—characterized by strength, leadership, and authority—is increasingly pathologized, while feminine values such as empathy, inclusion, and emotionality are prioritized. This is evident in politics, education, and the media: from the promotion of gender-neutral education to the critique of 'toxic masculinity.

Crucially, the distinction between healthy and toxic femininity is crucial here.

Healthy femininity focuses on people and physicality—it is oriented toward relationships, empathy, and the concrete.

Healthy masculinity, on the other hand, focuses on things and spirituality—it is focused on principles, structures, truth, and the transcendent.

LGBTQ ideology and woke culture are forms of toxic femininity

They manifest femininity in the wrong place—not in devoted relationships, but in narcissistic self-reflection, emotional blackmail, and the destruction of boundaries. Instead of seeing people in their entirety, the body becomes a pawn in political identity politics; instead of empathy, a cult of victimhood emerges. Instead of spiritual guidance, a materialistic worship of the body takes hold. This is not genuine femininity, but a perversion that is infiltrating the Church.

Helen Andrews describes this as a “Great Feminization,” which is infiltrating institutions like the Church and making them “woke” by expanding female leadership. In this context, the Church is not viewed in isolation. It reflects societal trends: The debate surrounding women in the Church—from female altar servers to demands for female priests—is a symptom. Cardinal Raymond Burke warned as early as 2015 of a “feminization” of the Church that deters men and leads to an imbalance. Critics like Marian T. Horvat argue that the Second Vatican Council (Vatican II) initiated this process by promoting an "effeminate" theology and weakening virile elements within the Church. The result: fewer male priestly vocations, while women dominate lay roles.

An often overlooked factor: Today's priests are almost all children of the sexual revolution

Born between 1950 and 1980, they grew up in a culture where the pill, free love, and the destigmatization of homosexuality were commonplace. Even those who chose celibacy were shaped by an atmosphere in which physical desire was decoupled from responsibility, and emotional self-realization was prioritized over duty. This influence persists—in the tendency to prioritize feelings over dogma, avoid conflict, and act "pastorally" rather than prophetically. The priest becomes a therapist instead of a warrior of Christ. That is precisely what the eunuch is: not impotent due to asceticism, but due to cultural castration.

Carl Gustav Jung: Archetypes, Anima/Animus, and the Crisis of the Church

In his depth psychology, Carl Gustav Jung describes archetypes as universal primordial images of humanity, anchored in the collective unconscious. Two of these are crucial to our topic:

Anima – the feminine archetype in man
Animus – the masculine archetype in woman

In a healthy psyche, the anima and animus are integrated, but not dominant. Man consciously remains masculine, yet his anima bestows upon him empathy, intuition, and the capacity for relationships. Woman consciously remains feminine, yet her animus grants her logic, assertiveness, and intellectual clarity.

What happens when the animus is repressed?

When the masculine psyche – individually or collectively – does not live out its animus, but rather suppresses it, the animus is repressed.When the anima pushes, it floods consciousness. The man doesn't become "more feminine" in the sense of complementing it—but rather effeminate, emotionally unstable, confrontation-averse, and lacking in identity. He becomes a shadow of masculinity—a eunuch. He is bewitched.

This is precisely what is happening in the Catholic Church – collectively

The Church, as a male institution (priesthood, hierarchy, dogma, sacrifice), is archetypally dominated by the animus:

It proclaims truth (the matter).
It establishes order (structure).
It sacrifices itself (spirit over body).
It fights against the powers of darkness (warriors of Christ).

However, since Vatican II and the sexual revolution, this collective animus has been suppressed:

Liturgy has been emotionalized, popularized, and made "inclusive" → anima overload. Dogma has been relativized and reinterpreted "pastorally" → suppression of truth. Priests have become "companions" instead of teachers → loss of authority. Masculinity has been pathologized as 'patriarchal' → collective shame.

The result: The Church suffers from a collective anima inflation. She no longer speaks with the voice of the father (spirit, law, judgment), but with the voice of the mother (emotion, mercy without justice, acceptance without repentance). This is toxic femininity in religious garb.

Jung would say:

If the animus is not consciously lived, it becomes a demon and a devil. If the anima is not integrated but suppressed or flooded, it becomes a whore and a witch.

Symbolism of the Whore of Babylon – Corruption through Anima Inflation

Biblically, the Whore of Babylon (Revelation 17–18) represents a seductive, corrupt power that allies itself with worldly forces and perverts true religion. Many Protestant interpreters see this as the Catholic Church – a “mother of whores” that is corrupted by wealth, rituals, and alliances with states.

From a Jungian perspective, the Whore of Babylon is the archetypal “seductive anima”—not the holy Sophia, but the dark side of femininity: seductive, manipulative, emotionally blackmailing, and identity-dissolving. She lures with promises of “inclusion,” “mercy,” and “dialogue”—but only to undermine the masculine structure (animus).

Symbolically, the modern Church, by adapting to a feminized society, could become this whore:

It sacrifices its masculine authority for inclusion and dialogue. The Synodal Path, which incorporates issues such as LGBTQ rights and feminism, is seen by critics as a compromise with the world.

In a feminized world, where the Church emphasizes women’s rights but denies priestly ordination, a paradox arises. Pope Francis’s rejection of female priests in 2024 is seen as a last bastion, but critics like Shannon Watts view it as a refusal to share power.

Isn’t this the whore who adorns herself but rots inside?

The symbolism of the eunuch fits here: The Church is losing its generative power—the ability to make souls fruitful—by adapting to a sterile, gender-neutral culture. Toxic femininity triumphs: Instead of spiritual procreation, there is only emotional validation.

Sodom and Gomorrah: Suppression of the Animus and Collective Sin

Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19) symbolize moral decay, often associated with homosexuality, inhospitality, and arrogance. Catholic traditions see it as a warning against sins that lead to ruin.

From a Jungian perspective, Sodom is the place where the animus has been completely suppressed—not only individually, but collectively. The men of Sodom want no women, no procreation, no order—they want bodies without spirit, lust without responsibility, feeling without truth. This is the ultimate anima inflation: femininity takes over, but in its dark, destructive form.

Today's comparisons draw parallels to the Church:

Scandals surrounding homosexual priests
The debate surrounding "Fiducia Supplicans" (the blessing of same-sex couples)

These are criticized as Sodom-like decay

In a feminized society where masculinity is suppressed, the Church symbolically becomes a eunuch: emasculated through the effeminization of the clergy and the acceptance of sins traditionally considered incompatible with masculinity and femininity.

Father Joe criticizes this as "feminization," which marginalizes heterosexual priests and tolerates homosexuality.

Here, toxic femininity is particularly evident: Instead of seeing people in their dignity (as true femininity would), the body becomes a political project. Instead of spiritual purity (masculine), emotional "inclusion" is prioritized over truth.

Like Sodom, which was destroyed for its arrogance and lack of mercy, the Church could risk divine punishment by embracing woke liberalism.

The priests of the sexual revolution carry this message.

The Church's collective unconscious: Having grown up in a culture of blurred boundaries, they find it difficult to draw clear lines – be it in doctrine, liturgy, or their own lives.

The Church's collective unconscious – repression and the return of the repressed

Jung teaches: What is repressed returns as a symptom.

For 60 years, the Church has repressed its collective animus:

Repressed animus (masculine)	Return as a symptom
Authority, dogma, truth	Relativism, “pastoral” reinterpretation
Hierarchy, sacrifice, struggle	Inclusion, dialogue, pacifism
Procreation (spiritual)	Sterility, shortage of priests
Boundaries, distinction	Boundlessness, syncretism

The Church's collective unconscious is charged with repressed masculinity. It appears as:

The anger of traditionalist laypeople
Schisms (e.g., SSPX)
Scandals (sexual abuse as a perverse “return of the repressed”)
Prophetic voices (Burke, Sarah, Schneider)

The Church is facing individuation—in the Jungian sense: It must consciously integrate its animus instead of repressing or demonizing it. It must heal its anima instead of allowing it to become a whore.

Is the Church already a eunuch?

The Catholic Church, once a bastion of male authority, seems to be losing its potency in a feminized society—symbolically becoming a eunuch who neither procreates nor fights. Like the Whore of Babylon, it seduces through compromises; like Sodom, it risks ruin through tolerance of sin.

Sources such as Crisis Magazine have been warning of this “feminization” that is marginalizing the Church since 1991. Nevertheless, there is resistance: Traditionalists like Cardinal Sarah are calling for a return to virile piety.

The root lies deeper: An entire generation of priests, shaped by the sexual revolution, carries within them toxic femininity—a femininity that does not serve but demands; that does not receive but destroys. LGBTQ and woke are not "progress" but the perversion of the feminine in the wrong place: in the realm of the spirit, where masculinity should actually reign.

From a Jungian perspective: The Church is suffering from a collective inflation of the anima and repression of the animus. It must reawaken its masculine archetype—not as patriarchy, but as spiritual fatherhood. Only in this way can it conquer the Whore of Babylon within and escape Sodom.

Whether this will happen depends on the future. The Church must decide:

Will it remain a eunuch in a feminized world—or will it return to its prophetic strength?

The Bible admonishes: “Be fruitful and multiply”—not sterile and conformist.

Jung warns: “Whoever does not integrate their shadow will be swallowed up by it.”

Only when humanity learns again to see—and live in—their respective order of people and things, body and mind, femininity and masculinity can it survive.