The task ahead. (Letters to the Editor).We welcomed the "Letters to Young Catholics" (Conscience, Summer 2002) sharing insights and giving encouragement and advice to young people. Perhaps the greatest insight--and one of the best kept secrets in Catholicism--is that we don't all agree on many issues; that there are "critical communities of opinion," that there isn't just one Catholic position on any topic, that Catholicism is a rich and diverse religion made up of myriad believers, that it is possible to live "at the back door of the church with one foot in and one foot out," to live in ambiguity; that it's OK to be critical of the institution. Other encouragement came from women who are making their own spirituality, bringing in elements from the indigenous culture in Mexico and from the Mayan religion, Buddhism, oriental spirituality, Zen and Yoga yoga (yō`gə) [Skt.,=union], general term for spiritual disciplines in Hinduism, Buddhism, and throughout S Asia that are directed toward attaining higher consciousness and liberation from ignorance, suffering, and rebirth. . From those who remain committed to staying inside there was encouragement to see things to value in church spirituality, social justice, and cutting edge dialogue. And there was "hope for the more wholesome whole·some adj. whole·som·er, whole·som·est 1. Conducive to sound health or well-being; salutary: simple, wholesome food; a wholesome climate. 2. celebration in the earthiness earth·y adj. earth·i·er, earth·i·est 1. Of, consisting of, or resembling earth: an earthy smell. 2. Of or characteristic of this world; worldly. 3. of the sacraments." Many women work to foster a diversity of opinions within the church community so that oppressive views do not silence all other voices, believing that remaining inside stretches the church boundaries. There was also a message of encouragement from those who have chosen to move outside the institution, struggling from there for spiritual renewal and change which can only come from outside, liberating lib·er·ate tr.v. lib·er·at·ed, lib·er·at·ing, lib·er·ates 1. To set free, as from oppression, confinement, or foreign control. 2. Chemistry To release (a gas, for example) from combination. the church from its obsession with power, control and money. Many spoke of their specific concerns about the place of women at the bottom of the pyramid In economics, the bottom of the pyramid is the largest, but poorest socio-economic group. In global terms, this is the four billion people who live on less than $2 per day, typically in developing countries. of power that is the church, about the long history of discrimination against women, the persistence of patriarchal pa·tri·ar·chal adj. 1. Of, relating to, or characteristic of a patriarch. 2. Of or relating to a patriarchy: a patriarchal social system. 3. attitudes, sexist sex·ism n. 1. Discrimination based on gender, especially discrimination against women. 2. Attitudes, conditions, or behaviors that promote stereotyping of social roles based on gender. language and practice. Women who work with the powerless on the margins of society spoke of the importance of listening, openness, tolerance and dissent. Advice was about forming base communities of prayer, reflection and action; turning pyramids of power into open, inclusive circles. This is what we too are trying to do! Mairin Valdez and Veronica Seddon Members of the Core Group, Catholic Women's Network, United Kingdom |
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