The People Speak Out

Local voices connecting globally

This is important: to get to know people, listen, expand the circle of ideas. The world is crisscrossed by roads that come closer together and move apart, but the important thing is that they lead towards the Good.  (Pope Francis)

Canon Law 212 calls upon the laity to speak up:

2 - The Christian faithful are free to make known to the pastors of the Church their needs, especially spiritual ones, and their desires.

§3. - According to the knowledge, competence, and prestige which they possess, they have the right and even at times the duty to manifest to the sacred pastors their opinion on matters which pertain to the good of the Church and to make their opinion known to the rest of the Christian faithful, without prejudice to the integrity of faith and morals, with reverence toward their pastors, and attentive to common advantage and the dignity of persons.

Women in the Church articles

Down the ages men have been perceived to be the sole recipients and transmitters of divine messages. Women on the other hand, have been socialized by patriarchal religious structures and practices to passively accept religious teachings as interpreted by men.

These androcentric and patriarchal interpretations have defined and shaped the social and cultural contexts of women resulting in their disempowerment and second class status.  

The key of women’s involvement with religion is hidden in women’s bodies. Women in fundamental ways are locked in their bodies, and their exercise of power is at the pleasure of men, whether in the family or in the religious sphere. Thus, religion is not just about spirituality, beliefs and practices alone, but it is also political. These political practices however, belong to structures of the mind that are not inviolable. They can be broken by recovering the spiritual and humane. It is on this recovery that women’s survival and unfolding as humans hangs. (Extract from Statement of National Consultation, Hyderabad, 2016)

What is your experience of the Roman Catholic Church’s treatment of women?

Annual Meeting, 21st – 24th April, 2017,

We, the  members of Indian Women Theologians Forum met for our annual meeting from 21st to 24th April 2017 at De Nobili College, Pune, to deliberate on the theme: The Politics of the Reign/”Kin-dom” of God in the Indian Context: A Feminist Theological Search.  We based  our reflections on the notion of ”Kin-dom” popularised by mujerista theologian Ada Maria Isasi-Diaz, as it reminds us that we are all kin to each other in the family of God. Understanding the ‘Reign of God’ as Kin-dom has special significance in the Indian context as it serves to challenge the hierarchical implications of domination and power associated with the term ‘Kingdom’, which is an expression with  patriarchal overtones.

Enacting the foot washing ritual Jesus instituted as the exemplar of service and subversion of existing hierarchies, was a spiritual experience of bonding, reconciliation and an invitation to constant transformation. Conducted at the start of our meeting, this ritual offered us an occasion also to connect to the community of some of the tribes in North East India for whom foot-washing is a gesture of purification and connectedness.   It was an exercise that motivated us to assert that we are Church and to commit ourselves to the Kin-dom of God that welcomes with humility and loving care, the least and the last.

Our sharing on the lived experiences of the ‘Kin-dom’ of God in our personal lives brought out the different facets of the Reign of God in the context of India. It was an invitation to engage consciously in the politics of inclusion against the backdrop of the practices of exclusion, as exercised by the mainstream systems of power including that of religions.

Our reflections were based on a series of papers presented on the changing Indian scenario where economic and social inequalities are growing, and hyper-nationalism and communalism are surreptitiously being mainstreamed through the shrinking of democratic spaces and the tacit complicity of those in power.

We observe the deliberate attempt in the global political economy to institutionalize exclusion by focusing on growth and the supremacy of the market, and using religion to polarize people. The irreparable damage inflicted on the environment, led by the greed for profit, forces displacement of masses of people. It destroys particularly the livelihood and the cultural practices of the Adivasis/tribal communities who live in harmony with nature. This has increasingly led to the feminization of migration, exploitation of labour and increased vulnerability of the poor.

We problematized the concept of ‘kin’ in the Indian context as the caste system in our society is a hierarchy that is defined by one’s family identity.  Ethnicity and religion also create barriers to kinship.  Within the family itself, traditional kinship relations are marked by discrimination on the basis of gender. While we reaffirm the need for kin-ship, and interdependence even with nature as a responsibility beyond self interest, we also affirm that Jesus’ call to “Kingdom” is universal and inclusive. Being subversive of hierarchy it challenges exclusive sectarian practices and oppressive traditions. In using loving, humble service as the key to the Kingdom, Jesus binds humans to each other and the cosmos in interdependence and responsibility to the well being of all.  In this context, we feel called to push with prophetic courage the existing boundaries of divisions and discriminations that mark our society and Church, in the name of blind adherence to tradition.

We see the Kin-dom as a gift and a task; a home coming of Sophia, a new wisdom that awakens us to be and become a transforming presence. The Kin-dom is at work in all social movements and various individual and collective initiatives that counter marginalization, discrimination, exploitation and exclusion – of people of minority faiths and genders, ethnicities, and caste hierarchies. We also acknowledge the liberative politics of the Kin-dom being enabled  in the  several initiatives that demonstrate alternate ways of enhancing sustainable development while preserving God’s creation.

We are challenged by:

  • the nexus between patriarchy, religious hegemony, market fundamentalism and the exploitation of the poor;
  • the various exclusions defined by caste, class, gender, religion, language and culture;
  • the need of groups to assert their own identities at the risk of excluding the other;
  • the market that draws us into a cycle of consumption and waste, destroying nature from both ends by depleting its resources and using it as our dump yard.

We commit ourselves to:

  • Building communities of inclusion, reconciliation and service, modeling the liberative symbol of washing of the feet , as illustrated by Jesus;
  • Adopting lifestyles that are marked by simplicity and harmony with nature,  while  making efforts to rejuvenate and conserve our natural resources;
  • Entering into partnerships/alliances with individuals, groups and movements who bravely challenge the existing patriarchal development paradigm.

We draw our energies from  the Spirit - Wisdom Sophia who is at work in realizing  the Kin-dom of God, where all in our shared ecosystem are at peace and in harmony, and experience life in abundance (Jn10:10).

God’s Holy Spirit spoke at the Vatican II Pastoral Constitution Article 29, “to end discrimination within the Church for race and sex…as not the Will of God.”

Until discrimination is ended for the female half, a false belief in a male only god, increases idolatry and inequality, without the more cooperative nature of the female half having an equal say, than the more aggressive nature of males, we will continue in one war after another with increased destruction of souls, contrary to God’s Will.

Please confirm with Holy Spirit who leads us to fullness of truth. More evidence at my new website, this morning1/25/17 type in email, not yet in search engines:

www.Godismotheraswellasfather.org

{jcomments on}

Saw God's Hand at 5 years old, not another such sign for over 25 years when needed confirmation prayed when I could between working, for 2 weeks for a "rebirth" Jesus taught. Felt God's Presence come through walls and wash over me saying the one word of "Equality". Have been led by God's Holy Spirit to witness to past two Popes but not able to get through to Pope Francis our need to end discrimination for the female half.

Without the equal rights of the more cooperative female spirit we will continue in one war after another, as God’s Holy Spirit spoke in Vatican II Pastoral Constitution Article 29, or Gaudium et Spes, “to end discrimination within the Church for race and sex…as not the Will of God.” 1965.

Until discrimination is ended for the female half, the belief of god as just male, puts us into idolatry and inequality!

Please confirm with The Holy Spirit who continues to lead us to the fullness of truth.

Peace and Goodwill.{jcomments on}

Statement of National Consultation, Hyderabad, 2016

Montfort Social Institute, Hyderabad, 23 rd – 26 th September, 2016.

Pack nothing. We bring only our determination to serve and our willingness to be free. We will not hesitate to leave our old ways behind: we fear, silence and submission. Only surrender is to the need of the time: to do justice and walk humbly with God. Though we set out in the dark. We are confident that God will be present with us in fire and in the cloud to encourage us.

- Alla Renee Bozarth

Down the ages men have been perceived to be the sole recipients and transmitters of divine messages. Women on the other hand, have been socialized by patriarchal religious structures and practices to passively accept religious teachings as interpreted by men.

These androcentric and patriarchal interpretations have defined and shaped the social and cultural contexts of Indian women resulting in their disempowerment and second class status. Recognizing the influence of religion and culture on Indian women’s lives, Streevani took the initiative to organize a National Consultation on the theme “Impact of Religion and Culture on Women’s Empowerment – An Indian Perspective” from 23 rd to 26 th September, 2016 at Hyderabad. The Montfort Social Institute hosted the meeting and were also co-organizers together with the Indian Christian Women’s Movement, The Indian Women

Theologians Forum, and Satyashodak. 50 people, religious women and men, lay women and one diocesan priest were present.

A major flaw in the perception of religion is the assumption that it is a given. Religion is in fact a negotiated reality with each individual or community defining its own understanding, one that evolves with time and circumstance. This fluidity needs to be placed at the centre of any discourse on religion along with the recognition that many religions have their origin in protests against established exclusionary and oppressive religious structures. The institutionalization of religious movements with their unchangeable dogmas however develops a fissure between the original episteme or way of understanding these movements, and the way they are practiced. The challenge is to preserve the voices of prophetic dissent and foster the freedom necessary for change. Women have the most at stake in this process since they are the ones crushed by the life-negating dogmas and conservatism of traditional religions.

Religion is frequently manipulated to monopolize power through homogenization and ritualization. Any agenda for change must therefore pluralize religious practices to capture the original thrust of the episteme. Thus spaces must be created in our social imagination to accommodate not just a recovery of the past but also an innovation of new liberating symbols, language and imagery that challenge authorized canons. Using these spaces, women need to stake their claim visibly and powerfully for their rights, and for their perspectives and interpretations to be accepted as part of the core religious canons which also underpin culture. Unless this happens the guardians of existing religious and social structures will not be forced to move to a critical consciousness of their oppressive nature.

The key of women’s involvement with religion is hidden in women’s bodies. Women in fundamental ways are locked in their bodies, and their exercise of power is at the pleasure of men, whether in the family or in the religious sphere. Thus, religion is not just about spirituality, beliefs and practices alone, but it is also political. These political practices however, belong to structures of the mind that are not inviolable. They can be broken by recovering the spiritual and humane. It is on this recovery that women’s survival and unfolding as humans hangs.

The gendering of body and sexuality does great violence to women and those classified as LGBTIQ persons. The male is considered as the norm, and scriptures are used to define women as defective, sinful, needing to be controlled even by using violence. LGBTIQ persons and their subjectivities are by and large excluded by authorized canons of religions. In India violence to women, the marginalized sections of society and minorities is a disturbing issue. It is prevalent in the family, and expands to a woman’s circle of known persons, even those she is taught to revere and confide in such as religious leaders, as well as public spaces. Violence is an expression of power that is hegemonic. It is used to control, dominate and enforce a system of power entrenched in cultural, religious, political and economic spheres. Laws prescribed to protect are often manipulated to inflict violence. The painful sharing by a Dalit woman, who spoke of political and religious violence, and a victim of domestic violence, during our consultations, amply demonstrated the roots of such violence in culture and religion.

The politics that have emerged in the discussion of the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in India indicate how the law is being manipulated to demonize one minority religion while ignoring the gender injustice in other personal laws. Women from religious minorities in favour of retaining their personal laws with the necessary amendments to ensure gender justice, view the creation of a UCC as a move to undermine their rights. As societies across nations evolve and become more plural, we realize that we need equality of rights and not equality of the law, so that equality as an outcome for women is a priority rather than equal laws for all regardless of religious and ethnic differences. 

For Catholic women governed by the Code of Canon Law the major discrimination based on gender is their exclusion from ordination and all the offices contained therein. The maleness of Christ rather than his humanity is emphasized putting women on a plane lower than men. Even within the category of the non-ordained, women and men do not enjoy equal rights. Only men, including married men, can be ordained deacons and be installed as lectors. Many of the rights given to both men and women are assigned only in the absence of a priest and at the behest of the parish priest or bishop.

Church teaching while professing the equality of women also promotes the notion of complementarity that assigns fixed roles to women and men, with women usually in passive and subservient positions. With regard to sexuality procreation is viewed as the norm, ignoring love, equality, respect and mutuality that contribute towards strengthening the marriage relationship. This has led to the active/passive paradigm that legitimates violence such as marital rape, but also emotional, psychological and financial violence that covertly controls women’s sexuality. Church leadership remains silent on the issues of domestic violence and dowry but stresses the morality that condemns abortion and contraceptives, and glorifies fidelity in marriage and motherhood no matter the circumstances. There is scant recognition that “separation becomes inevitable, at times even morally necessary when it is a matter of removing the more vulnerable spouse or young children from serious injury due to abuse and violence, from humiliation and exploitation, and from disregard and indifference” (Amoris Laetitia # 241).

In fact, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the later additions such as the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), have a Trinitarian dimension of equal but different. Woman and man created in the image and likeness of God (Gen 1:27), the Trinity, forms the basis of all human rights. However, in the Catholic Church the ontologically different character attained by men at ordination becomes a source of power that is sacramental and hierarchal and creates unequal people. This becomes an impediment to the realization of human rights in the Church which are a reflection of Jesus’ call to be a community that believes and lives the “Kin-dom” values of love, justice, equality, peace, reconciliation and communion.

 In the light of the above we will endeavour to:

1. Do an analysis of the 1983 Code of Canon Law in the light of the International Bill of Human Rights and Indian Civil law.

2. Facilitate the gender sensitisation of men, particularly bishops, priests, and seminarians as proposed by the CBCI Gender Policy of the Catholic Church of India.

3. Continue to accompany and support victims of sexual abuse

4. Follow up on a Policy that will encompass measures to prevent and redress sexual abuse, as well as protocols and structures to ensure justice, healing and sensitive accompaniment of victims.

5. Engage in collaboration with the CRI in matters of common concern.

6. Strengthen the Indian Christian Women’s Movement.

{jcomments on}

{jcomments on}

2 August 2016

India

On behalf of the Indian Women Theologians Forum.  I would like to present to you in sum, our deliberations from our meetings held in 2015 and 2016 which present our Vision of a new way of being Church.

The Indian Women theologians have reflected on a New Way of Being Church within our Indian and Asian Context of poverty, caste, discrimination, inter-religious reality, and injustice.  We realize that to initiate this way of being Church we need new structures “New wine that requires new wineskins”

As Indian feminist theologians we therefore envisage the Church as…

-  a ‘discipleship of equals’, non-hierarchical and participatory, with women being co-responsible in decision making and the services in the church; 

-  a community that is open to all irrespective of class, caste, creed, gender or sexual orientation;

-  a body incarnated in the lives of the  poor and the marginalized;

-  a people in dialogue with religious and cultural pluralism, “revered” tradition, and the ‘signs of the times’; 

-  a member of the wider human family, networking with people of good will for the common good, and intervening prophetically to address violence and injustice;

-  an ecological blessing committed to protecting and sustaining creation; and

-  a sign of peace and harmony promoting the communion of all faiths. 

These new ways of being Church entail rediscovering and translating to our present times the egalitarian vision of the Jesus movement that says NO to all forces of domination, and promotes inclusive, liberative and welcoming spaces for all.

This vision of Jesus for the Church as an inclusive community of discipleship of equals, which will be instrumental for initiating the Reign of God will involve:

·         Uprooting the hierarchical and patriarchal mindset from ourselves and our communities

·         Creating an awareness of Christian discipleship according to the vision of Christ

·         Choosing leaders for Christian communities according the criteria deployed by the early Church, like selecting persons filled with wisdom and the Holy Spirit (Acts 6:3)

·         Celebrating ‘inclusive table fellowship' in the family which is the domestic church as well as in Small Christian Communities which are the “house churches” of today, where sharing experiences of joys and sorrows can help create bonds of support and solidarity, thereby building family and community

·         Recognizing the varied ministerial services exercised by all the people of God  like Coordinators of Small Christian Communities,  Ministers of the Eucharist, Ministers of the Word, Ministers of  healing/teaching/social outreach/ justice and the like, as  equally valued and  effective ways of realizing the vision of Jesus

Through this, we dream of birthing a new vision of being the Church with structures which are collaborative, participatory and inclusive without distinctions of class, caste and gender. This will help the Christian community to become the ‘new wineskin’ that can hold the ‘new wine’ of the Reign of God.

Virginia Saldanha