MEDIA RELEASE:
29th November 2018
Voices of Faith convened an historic event entitled “Overcoming Silence – Women’s Voices in the Abuse Crisis” in Rome on 27th November, 2018 featuring diverse voices of women experts, some of whom have personal experience of clerical abuse in the Catholic Church. Three key recommendations for the February meeting of Presidents of Bishops' Conferences were formulated as a result of the event.
Read more: Catholic Women Speak up about Sexual Abuse and Call for Change
by Clyde Christofferson
How should we proceed with support for small communities – “wherever two or three are gathered …”? Cultivation of the “collective wisdom” of the People of God is far more fundamental and important than distinctions (lay or cleric, free or slave, male or female).
Furthermore, it is quite challenging. Do we have reason to believe that a process that is more listening than talking, with discernment of the Spirit as its objective, will work? If those in a small group or “listening circle” listen so that their own contributions are informed by the lived experience of others, then a “collective wisdom” grounded in the Spirit can emerge.
“Collective wisdom” respects diversity. People are in different places on their journeys. So “common ground” is not necessarily an outcome. The loving outcome, prompted by the Spirit, may well be a plurality of views that in combination respects the diversity of the collective.
It is not sufficient that people choose “representatives” who would then participate in such a process. There needs to be participation at the grass roots, so that everyone understands from personal experience – even if that experience is only occasional – how the process works.
If this process is undertaken with care, we might hope that over time its outcomes would earn trust. Then it becomes possible for webs of trust to emerge. This is a long term cultural shift, and should not be burdened with too many urgencies of the moment. It is more important that the process itself be nurtured.
As a practical matter – if we are serious about doing this with care – skills need to be developed gradually. Begin with “listening circles” of the like-minded before engaging people from widely different cultures or perspectives in the same “listening circle”.
If we do nothing more than observe how this process develops in a wide variety of circumstances, so that all can benefit from the experience of others, that will be a significant contribution toward the wisdom of the community.
And do we not need such a process – one that values diversity and cultivates a mutuality of trust – for a coherent voice to emerge out of grass roots participation? As it is said, trust in the Spirit always.
But that kind of trust is hard. The all too human tendency is to organize the process so that it will work in accordance with the light of reason. This is how we got to hierarchy, bringing along patriarchy in its wake. Being patient with participatory listening at the grass roots, testing all things for what is good, is an unfamiliar and uncomfortable position.
When Francis talks about “synodality” perhaps this is the necessary discomfort that must be endured by erstwhile leaders. Like discernment, the process requires patience. It is not merely a coordination project. It has a clear objective -- participation of the whole People of God, from the grass roots, in both a listening church and a teaching church -- but no clear concretization of the objective.
Indeed, how is such an objective possible? It seems impossible. Yet we know it must be possible. Prior models -- in particular the clericalist structures that reached their high-water mark in the pre-Vatican II church -- have demonstrated their inadequacy, most recently manifest in the crisis of clerical sexual abuse.
We need a new paradigm. It is not a matter of identifying such a paradigm and pursuing it, as if an inverted pyramid were a concrete expression of such a paradigm. Rather, we need a strategy for a journey -- a virtual pilgrimage -- guided by the objective but whose concrete expression is open to the Spirit.
The obvious starting point is "structured listening". That is what listening circles and other formats for prayerful small group discussion are about. That is, set aside the governance function. If governance were the starting point the process would rather quickly gravitate – in quite ordinary human fashion – toward a more manageable system of representatives and decision-making protocols agreed to by the representatives.
Avoid that temptation and instead nurture grass roots participation. See what comes of it. There may be many ways to make this work, for the Spirit to have its voice. If we share what comes up from the grass roots there may emerge the initial threads of what can become webs of trust.
This could be the first step in giving practical effect to the "upside down pyramid".
Greetings from ICT Coordination office.
I am writing this email to share a link to AMAZON Bookstore for the purchase of the Second Revised Edition of the Book: Strengthening the Growth of Small Christian Communities in Africa – A Training Handbook for Facilitators. This book is a product of AMECEA Pastoral Department, and proceeds will be for the support of the department.
The book is available for sale in two versions that is the eBook Version and the Paperback version. The link is: Amazon.com (USA) The book is also available on Amazon in other countries.
Thank you for your continued support.
Kind regards.
Bernard Mberere
AMECEA ICT Officer
Indian Christian Women’s Movement 1st National Convention ‘Women Take Wing’
PRESS RELEASE 13th August, 2018
About 100 women including nuns and ordained women from churches all over India strongly condemned the weak institutional response of the church to gender violence faced by women in the Church.
The women were attending the first National Convention of the Indian Christian Women’s Movement (ICWM) at Jnanadeepa Vidyapeeth, Pune, on the theme ‘Women take Wing’.
In her keynote address, Prof. Vibhuti Patel, Advanced Center for Women’s Studies, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai, traced the history of Indian women’s movement and the importance and relevance of ICWM in this larger context.
The delegates, cutting across age, region and Christian denomination expssed dissatisfaction at the lack of voice, role and decision making for women in Church structures, and declared their determination to struggle for justice equality, dignity and rights for women, children, Dalits, Tribals, Transgender people and LGBQIA.
They resolved to work together to enhance women’s participation, representation, decision making in the Church and related structures.
In the new normal of sexual violence and polarization in the country, and the abuse of women’s and children’s bodies to settle political and communal scores, the ICWM resolved to partner and work in solidarity with civil society groups and movements in the ongoing battle for justice for survivors and their families.
Noella D’Souza
Convenor, ICWM
Virginia Saldanha
Secretary, ICWM