Abstract
The violations of sexual and domestic violence are bodily, psychological, and spiritual. Is it possible to find healing within the Roman Catholic Church? This chapter offers a cautionary yes. The history and characteristics of Catholicism are highlighted before turning to a consideration of the Church’s perpetuation and responses to violence and the roles of women. Although there are obstacles in scripture and tradition, both scripture and tradition also offer understandings of God and persons that promote wholeness. There is a growing awareness of the pandemic of domestic violence in the Catholic Church. The bishops’ pastoral letter, “When I Call for Help,” is an important resource that points to the need for development in responsible teaching by pastors as well as further training for lay ministers and members of congregations. The good news is that the depth and breadth of the Catholic tradition contains resources that mediate understandings of God and the person that do not make the loss of God a necessity for survival.
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- 1.
Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza (1994a) argues that a careful reading of New Testament texts reveals a complex picture of women’s active participation in worship and in church leadership, a picture at odds with the standard portrayals of women only minimally involved in the ministries of Jesus and Paul.
- 2.
For an understanding of the way that shame and theological ideas of sin impact survivors, see The shame that lingers: A survivor-centered critique of Catholic sin-talk by Starkey (2009).
- 3.
For further insight into Julian, see Grace Jantsen’s (2000) Julian of Norwich: Mystic and Theologian and Beverly Lanzetta’s (2005) Radical Wisdom: A Feminist Mystical Theology.
- 4.
See Perilla and Fortune (2006) for more information. Also, listen to a Sermon by Rev Charles W. Dahm O.P., Archdiocese of Chicago, Director of DV at http://stpiusvparish.org/en/cchd (Dahm n.d.).
- 5.
See the section “Ending Violence Against Women” by Heise, Ellsberg, and Gottemoeller (1999) in the Archdiocese of Chicago Domestic Violence Outreach Manual.This guidebook is written for members of the faith community: clergy and others who work in religious and spiritual care. It is designed to help clergy and other spiritual leaders recognize and respond more effectively to members of their congregations who are at risk for, or are affected by, domestic violence.
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Starkey, A. (2015). The Roman Catholic Church and Violence Against Women. In: Johnson, A. (eds) Religion and Men's Violence Against Women. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-2266-6_11
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