Vatican City, Mar 8, 2017 / 03:02 am (CNA/EWTN News).- A new advisory group for the Pontifical Council for Culture is being hailed as the beginning of a greater representation of women in leadership at the Vatican.
On March 7 the Council presented their 37-member “Women’s Consultation Group,” which they established in 2015 as a way to give women a voice in places where it can frequently be lacking in the Vatican.
Member Donna Orsuto, director of the Rome-based Lay Center, called the the group “a good start.”
“I think there are many other ways, or in the future there will be many other ways in which women can be more present, more involved in the Church, especially in the Roman Curia,” she told CNA, “but I think this is a very good start.”
Orsuto voiced her hope that as they carry out their work, the group would be able to “work together…as women, but also with the council.”
“This idea of men and women working together for the good of the Church and society” is key, she said, adding that she’s “very pleased that the focus isn’t just on women and women’s issues.”
Council president Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi said that like many other Vatican departments, “inside of my dicastery, I didn’t have any women at the management level. They were only there in an administrative sense as secretaries.”
And while the women who are part of the consultative group aren’t necessarily department managers, the presence of the group serves as a response to “this lack of the presence of women in the Roman Curia.”
Ravasi said he didn’t form the group to recriminate those who were angry about the lack of women, and nor did he want the women to be “a ‘cosmetic’ element in the sense that they were (only) a symbolic presence” or a mere viewpoint on “an only male horizon.”
Instead, the cardinal said he simply wanted “a feminine perspective” over every activity the dicastery does, including official documents.
A woman’s viewpoint, he said, “can see beyond our gaze” and offers a perspective that’s different and at times unexpected.
“It’s a question about interpretation, of prospective, of analysis, of judgment, above all, and also of proposal,” he said, explaining that the group will participate actively in both the preparation and duration of the council’s next plenary meeting.
Cardinal Ravasi stood beside some 20 of the 37 women who are currently part of the group at its official March 7 presentation. Coming from different cultures and professional backgrounds, the women serve a three-year term and meet three times annually to discuss ideas and possible projects.
Initially started in June 2015, the group was born from the Pontifical Council for Culture’s Feb. 5-7 plenary assembly that year, which was dedicated to the theme “La Cultura Femminile,” or, “The Feminine Culture.”
Several women were asked to help prepare for the plenary, and worked in two separate groups with members of the council to organize the event and define specific topics of conversation.
After the plenary, Ravasi decided to establish the group as a permanent entity. He invited the women who prepared the plenary to stay, and reached out to several others from various professions, including ambassadors, journalists, doctors, professors, actresses and teachers, among others.
In their annual meetings, the group focuses their discussion on proposals surrounding the dicastery’s work in the fields of artificial intelligence, neuroscience, sport and human anthropology.
Consuelo Corradi, coordinator of the Women’s Consultation Group and vice rector for research and international relations at the LUMSA University of Rome, told journalists that they waited to present the group because they wanted to be able to show something that was already well established and running.
The theme that links all of the members together, she said, is “the female difference,” because “there’s a perspective from women (and) there’s a way of living human life that’s specific to women.”
“It’s not a theological discourse, what we do inside the group. One can have an ideological discourse on feminine and masculine, but we try to avoid it,” she said. Instead, the women seek to bring their concrete experience as wives, mothers, friends and professionals in order to discuss “universal themes from a feminine perspective.”
Released during the official presentation of the group was their first project – a magazine titled “Cultures and Faith” including contributions from various members of the group in different languages that reflect on a variety of different topics.
Group members from various fields and cultures who attended the presentation – including Irish ambassador to the Holy See Emma Madigan – voiced their hope that the group would provide a platform to generate creative ideas given their professional backgrounds, and to foster greater collaboration with men on important issues.
In her comments to CNA, Orsuto said the variety of backgrounds and expertise of the members is “an enrichment for the Council,” especially given the fact that there were no women in senior positions in the dicastery beforehand.
Since last year’s plenary, the women have had a chance to evaluate various projects of the council and “and give some insight into doing things with a ‘feminine touch,’” she said, explaining that for her, the group is a concrete example of Pope Francis’ call for a more “incisive” feminine presence in the Church.
Italian psychologist and psychotherapist Dr. Laura Bastianelli touched on the necessity of collaboration between men and women as “a creative process.”
“We want to set up a process that is really cooperating” with one another, she said. “This is a way to build together, not trying to compete.”
“Competition is not the key to the resolution of solving problems between women and men. It’s a cooperation, so we want to co-create starting from the group in the dicastery and then to print a model that can be replicated.”
Bastianelli said she also sees the establishment of the group as a direct response to Pope Francis’ call for a greater inclusion of women in the life of the Church, and is hoping to use her background in psychology to help shape the council’s projects.
Currently a professor at Salesian university, Bastianelli trains psychotherapists and specializes in youth psychology. She is the founder of an association dedicated to working with youth and preventing diseases in children and young people.
“It’s a big work, it’s very demanding, because there’s a lot to do,” she said, explaining that the consultation group’s magazine includes an article from her on youth culture in which she reflects on difficulties today’s youth face.
Specifically, she delved into the topic of neuroscience and what it says about “the use and abuse of the internet (and) what the impact of these technologies on our youth is.”
“This is a big problem,” she said, explaining that the result of the current expansion of technologies among youth will start to be visible in the coming years.
But in addition to speaking just about the challenges, Bastianelli said she also explored the “richness” of today’s youth, “because we have young people very rich and full of competencies, but they can’t find space and they can’t develop because of many bad influences.”
She also spoke during the 2015 plenary for the Council for Culture, focusing on the topic of “generativity (procreativity) as a symbolic code,” meaning how we generate life without necessarily giving birth.
Bastianelli said her greatest hope for the consultation group is that it would spread to other realities even outside of the Church so the “richness of this experience can be replicated. It’s like leaven.”
Emma Madigan, Irish Ambassador to the Holy See, told CNA that she also hopes to use her diplomatic experience to help foster dialogue and open channels within the Vatican.
As an ambassador, “you want to understand better your interlocutors,” she said, explaining that for a diplomat, “dialogue is a core value and activity.”
“You’re basically furthering the bonds between the two countries, or in this case with a global religion, and seeing what you can bring to the table from your experience,” she said, noting that she has worked in a number of different fields where she’s had to encounter the problems people face on a daily basis.
When it comes to the Vatican, “you’re interacting with priests, dealing pretty much with the pastoral issue. You can understand some of what they’re going through,” she said, explaining that she also tries to present and discuss issues important to Ireland and to share information in order to foster greater mutual understanding.
Madigan said she was invited to join the group by Cardinal Ravasi around the same time as the 2015 plenary when he was thinking of establishing it, and initially had reservations about joining for fear of appearing to advise the Church on what they were doing.
However, since it was specifically working with one dicastery in particular, she said yes, since it speaks to people from all walks of life, including Catholics, non-Catholics and even non-believers.
“That’s something I’m really interested in,” she said, noting that she’s been invited to join “because of my position, but I’ll be representing my own perspective.”
“I do feel it was courageous in bringing this up,” she said, explaining that to have 37 women gather around the same table can get “a bit chaotic,” as each one brings their own experience and contribution.
Madigan said that when she initially came to Rome, she thought she would be the only woman ambassador, but quickly found out that wasn’t the case, and “already it means you’re not the only woman in the room.”
For the Vatican, “it is a leadership that is male, but it is changing,” she said, noting that especially when working with the Vatican, women “naturally gravitate towards other women to be interlocutors, share experiences.”
There is “still plenty of room for growth in this area,” she said, but recognized the group as “a practical example of saying ‘we want a woman’s perspective.’”
While many say that “we value women and want to bring them into the fold,” the group “is actually a practical sign that that’s happening. It’s a beginning. You have to start somewhere.”
[…]
We read that the three themes to be explored by the International Theological Commission are Nicaea, a Trinitarian theology of creation, and yet-undefined “anthropological issues.”
Regarding the possible anthropological issues, Three points:
FIRST, we at least have an encouraging clue from Cardinal Parolin: “I am very sorry for the loss of faith in our Europe, in our culture, in our countries, and these anthropological changes that are taking place, losing the identity of the human person” (https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/247167/cardinal-parolin-i-am-sad-to-see-the-loss-of-faith-and-reason-in-europe)
SECOND, a cry in the wilderness, this, as it is set aside by synodality’s Cardinal Hollerich: “I believe that the sociological-scientific foundation of this teaching [on sexual morality] is no longer true [….] I think it’s time we make a fundamental revision of the doctrine” (https://www.aol.com/news/liberal-cardinal-calls-revised-catholic-135429645-181222377.html). So much for Christian anthropology!
Will catechists and theologians “not walk together” on their diverging anthropological paths? Will the (bigoted and rigid?) catechists of, say, Veritatis Splendor and moral absolutes be ever more eclipsed by an ambulatory plebiscite “combined, aggregated and synthesized” by synod-ism—-with the process itself as THE message? Will even Nicaea be insinuated more as a procedural synodal artifact?
THIRD, will the Church deal coherently with the “anthropological-cultural change” (Parolin, a few years back) of the day, as more clearly articulated by Cardinal O’Malley: “The amazing thing is that historically the Church was persecuted mostly for the truths that we taught concerning Christ and the Church. The controversies were Arianism [Nicaea], transubstantiation or papal infallibility. Today, the attacks directed at the Church are directed at our teaching concerning the dignity of the human person, the sacredness of life and the importance of marriage…” (Cardinal O’Malley, National Prayer Breakfast, May 13, 2014).
What about consistency and clarity in both doctrine and theology (Vincent of Lerins, and Cardinal Newman!) about the human person and, say, binary/complementary human sexuality. Also “walking together” with the timeless wisdom of St. John Chrysostom: “The road to Hell is paved with the bones of priests and monks, and the skulls of bishops are the lamp posts that light the path.”
“The road to Hell is paved with the bones of priests and monks, and the skulls of bishops are the lamp posts that light the path.”
That would be, in essence, unfaithful priests, monks, and bishops, as we can know through both Faith and reason that The Faithful, those who remain in communion with Christ and His One, Holy, Catholic, And Apostolic Church, Through The Unity Of The Holy Ghost (Filioque), affirm The Word Of God in regards to sexual morality, and thus respect The Sanctity of the marital act within The Sacrament Of Holy Matrimony, and respect the inherent equal Dignity of every beloved son and daughter from the moment of conception to natural death.
“It is not possible to have Sacramental Communion without Ecclesial Communion”, due to The Unity Of The Holy Ghost” (Filioque), For “It Is Through Christ, With Christ, And In Christ, In The Unity Of The Holy Ghost”, that Holy Mother Church, outside of which there is no Salvation, due to The Unity Of The Holy Ghost (Filioque ) exists.
Pray for our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, who has not rejected The Gift Of The Holy Ghost in regards to Papal
Infallibility and The Deposit Of Faith.
“For the Holy Spirit was not promised to the successors of Peter that by His revelation they might make known new doctrine, but that by His assistance they might inviolably keep and faithfully expound the Revelation, the Deposit of Faith, delivered through the Apostles. “
I’ll ask Francis his thoughts on whether it will rain next Wednesday.
Catechists have been literally holding the fort or forts. The Good News is evolving all the time. Conversion is an ongoing and a never ending process. It are the theologians who are yet to do justice to their enormous potential.
There is a distinct absence here of addressing reality.
Inter-disciplinarity in the natural sciences allows them to work alongside each other without confusion.
Trans-disciplinarity is a ceature of Modernism that penetrates among disciplines to recreate out of them and channel (the Postmodern) meta-narratives.
Again I say the use of the word “indietrism” is misleading; since the Modernist initiative/engagement is a subtle indoctrinating and mediated shifting into extreme pluralisms.
It is truly alarming that the Holy Father, who has the duty and the commission to teach and to warn, could just “appropriate” a word without proper contextualization except to blame rigidity and blame being backward-looking.
You have to read the entire LIFESITE article by Michael Haynes, “Pope tells theologians to consult ‘non-Catholics,’ avoid ‘going backward’ in Tradition”.
‘ The Pope spoke of the “appropriateness – in order to carry out with pertinence and incisiveness the work of deepening and inculturation of the Gospel – to open prudently to the contribution of the different disciplines through the consultation of experts, including non-Catholics, as provided for in the Statutes of the Commission.”
In this manner the theologians could practice “transdisciplinarity,” he said, suggesting that by consulting non-Catholics the theologians could draw from their knowledge as it comes from the “Light and Life offered by the Wisdom streaming from God’s Revelation.”
While he urged catechists to “give the right doctrine,” Francis told the ITC to “go further” than the “solid doctrine” as the magisterium will assume the role of informing the theologians when they have gone too far. ‘
https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/pope-tells-theologians-to-consult-non-catholics-avoid-going-backward-in-tradition/?utm_source=top_news&utm_campaign=usa
Here at ZENIT English you find the transcript of what the Holy Father said. According to this translation, he promotes transdisciplinarity as the “strong form” on inter-disciplinarity whereas multi-disciplinarity is the latter’s “weak form”. He claims here he is underlining and propelling what he put forth in Veritatis Gaudium.
But in Veritatis Gaudium transcript at VATICAN.VA, he discusses multi-disciplinarity, inter-disciplinarity and cross-disciplinarity; where in fact he had never mentioned trans-disciplinarity. He is confirming that transdisciplinarity is what he intentionally meant – as “streaming from the Light and Life of God’s Revelation”.
Before now November 2022, how could anyone have uncovered that?
lt is just wrong, even the secular scientists, sociologists and philosophers, acknowledge transdisciplinarity as Modernism.
If the Holy Father aims to “redeem transdisciplinarity” he at least must admit it is Modernism and he must assert he is doing so.
Also the best definition anyone can give to cross-disciplinarity is, as to having 2 or more qualifications in different fields whether as specialist or general practitioner.
Veritatis Gaudium is supposed to be an apostolic constitution.
https://zenit.org/2022/11/26/popes-three-guidelines-to-the-international-theological-commission/
https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/apost_constitutions/documents/papa-francesco_costituzione-ap_20171208_veritatis-gaudium.html
Yes, what might be the difference, if any, between the generic mindsets of “transdisciplinarity” and transgender?
Fr. Hunwicke’s December 1 2022 page has some remarks shared about indietrism.
FSSPX NEWS has some complaints and observations about “overabundant communication”.
These are hard times for clergy, for sure. May I offer a recommendation? To guard the heart in charity, humility and piety. And if you would accept it from me I would add my request for you to remember me in such prayers, as those, of your own.
God bless you.
https://liturgicalnotes.blogspot.com/2022/12/indietrism-again.html
https://fsspx.news/en/news-events/news/how-explain-pope-francis%E2%80%99s-overabundant-communications-2-76087
https://fsspx.news/en/news-events/news/how-explain-pope-franciss-overabundant-communications-1-76063
While at this present moment the VATICAN.VA/SANTA SEDE website is mostly inaccessible, you can still search directly for Veritatis Gaudium and get the English posting of it at VATICAN.VA.
Begging pardon for making this too simplistic, but part of the scientific method is looking back to find new things, or to relocate something properly, or to gain an understanding that has slipped, or to trace the course of a transmission and pinpoint a beginning, or just to learn what one didn’t yet know, etc.
I went “looking back” on the internet and I found that by early 2021 the Redemptorists had already explicitly opted for methodological trans-disciplinarity in their approach to moral theology. Now it could be this got rooted much earlier, from the private audience they had with the Holy Father 2 years before in February 2019, on the 70th anniversary of the Alfonsian Academy.
See the second link, CSSR NEWS, “Towards a Transdisciplinary Approach”.
Did they themselves translate “cross-disciplinarity” as “trans-disciplinarity”? Or did the Holy Father already tip them off to do it that way? Actually in the report they expressly quote from the Holy Father about “designing bold steps”.
It’s not lengthy and I believe it should be read. Are any other religious pursuing the same or similar “developments”? Is any particular congregation in the lead?
https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/apost_constitutions/documents/papa-francesco_costituzione-ap_20171208_veritatis-gaudium.html
https://www.cssr.news/2021/02/towards-a-transdisciplinary-approach-to-moral-theology/