To mark the feast day of St Rita of Cascia, the patron saint of impossible causes and abused women, the CSAN Domestic Abuse Alliance met this week to discuss gender justice in the Church.
We had an expert line up of speakers, led by Nikki Dhillon Keane of Safe in Faith, Caritas Westminster, and followed by Emma Scott of Restored UK, Natalie Collins of Own My Life, Claire Grant of CAFOD and Mandy Marshall of the Anglican Communion.
We started the session with a reading of a powerful reflection by Giulia Longo, a Caritas colleague from Italy who wrote about being a young woman in the Church. Giulia reflects on the challenges and leading from the margins, as well as her hope for the future: ‘the desire that every young woman who enters the Church or the humanitarian field does not have to justify her presence but can freely express her voice. Not because she’s perfect or better, but because she’s true.’
You can download and read the full reflection at the link below:
Emma Scott, practicing psychotherapist and church leader for 14 years, is the Beacon Partnership Manager at Restored UK, a Christian charity seeking to end domestic abuse. Emma shared a story from Judges 19 about the Levite and the concubine, challenging us to look at the world today and our understanding of ownership. We are encouraged to speak out against domestic abuse and challenge comments or phrases that seek to dehumanise women in their everyday life.
You can view Emma’s presentation on our Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPAQBNNHfx8&t=8s
You can learn more about the work of Restored UK and access their resources on their webpage: https://www.restored-uk.org/
Natalie Collins, CEO and founder of Own My Life, has worked with Chrstian communities since 2009 to ensure women and children are given the best possible chance to flourish, both during and after abuse. Natalie spoke about the many different ways in which women being abused will present, whether it’s mental health struggles, struggles with addiction or physical health problems, and why it’s important to recognise the signs and meet women where they are. Natalie shared insights on the many different types of abusive behaviour and the importance of challenging beliefs of ownership and entitlement. When questioning how we can respond, Natalie calls on us to start by thinking about and identifying ownership and entitlement in our theology, in our practice and in our personal lives.
You can view Natalie’s presentation on our Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7PFl-oakT0k
Claire Grant, inclusion and gender advisor at CAFOD (Catholic Agency for Overseas Development), works to deliver transformative change for women, girls and excluded groups. Claire shared the toolkit developed by CAFOD to support church organsiations. Working thorugh the global Caritas network, CAFOD aims to ensure all women and girls live free from violence, fear and discrimination, and have equal opportunities to participate, influence and lead in all aspects of life. The toolkit aims to raise awareness on the importance of gender equality and to increase gender competency, drawing on scripture and Catholic social teaching.
You can access the resource online at: https://cafod.org.uk/about-us/what-we-do/gender
You can read CAFOD’s latest publication and learn more about their work on gender justice online at: https://cafod.org.uk/about-us/what-we-do/gender/changing-the-narrative
Claire’s presentation can be viewed in full on our Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-A6dCFt7Yg&t=4s
Mandy Marshall, Director of gender justice at the Anglican Communion, joined us from Dubai where she was meeting with the Anglican Safe Church Commission. Mandy explained the structure of the Anglican Communion and highlighted their work on gender justice and the involvement of men in the response. In working towards ending gender-based violence, Mandy emphasised the importance of the theological perspective, reviewing what the Bible says as well as what it doesn’t say. We are challenged to question whether our Church is complicit in enabling gender inequality and injustice, and to ensure responsibility lies with the perpetrator. In her concluding remarks, Mandy emphasised the need for accountability and the role of the Church in promoting just relationships and discipleship.
You can view Mandy’s presentation in full on our Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpF-QJ-hA18
Safe in Faith is a project of Caritas Westminster working to support survivors of domestic abuse, sexual violence and exploitation in ways that understand how their faith impacts their experiences. Together with Safe in Faith, we convene our domestic abuse alliance to raise awareness discuss how we can support survivors in the Catholic community.
You can access resources and further guidance on the Safe in Faith website, and download the worksheet we produced as part of the CSAN Do Justice campaign on Domestic Abuse at: https://dojustice.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Do-Justice-Domestic-Abuse.pdf
