The lack of Christian thinking on gender-based violence is a problem

Caso 992 is a Mexican feminist collective that supports abandoned mothers who are victims of violence. The most significant violence stems from the shortcomings of Mexico’s penal system, which is still permeated with patriarchal traits. The numbers are chilling: 30.2 million victims, including women and children. Caso 992 has the support of 29 professional institutes and civil associations. Together they are fighting for a change in the national legal system on this issue, which seems as irrational as it is discriminatory. Among the supporters and researchers involved, there is not a single Catholic university.

Mexico is not an isolated case. There are few Catholic universities that devote any resources to research into violence against women. In the practical and pastoral sphere, there is no doubt that the Church (mainly, if not exclusively, thanks to women religious) is committed every day to women victims. There are countless initiatives to welcome, accompany, reintegrate into the world of work. But research? In practical terms, there is none.

It seems that Catholic academic institutions are also suspicious of the subject, which has traditionally been regarded as a “left-wing” issue. They do not open lines of research, nor do they dedicate groups or individuals to work on the subject, nor do they even mention  November 25, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, established by the United Nations in memory of the terrible murder of the three sisters Patria, Minerva and María Teresa Mirabal during the Dominican regime of Rafael Leonidas Trujillo in 1960. No way. In short, they have pulled out of the field, thus depriving it of the specific contribution of Christian thought.

The lack of this contribution is a problem. Not so much to derive numbers or describe the phenomenon. The data is already in the possession of and analyzed by other associations. The properly Christian perspective serves first of all to broaden the analysis of the causes and make a more complete diagnosis. It also serves to provide principles and criteria for interpretation and action, starting from one’s own understanding of the human being.

So as to clarify, let me give an example. The harrowing phenomenon of violence has been read from an anthropology for which women’s autonomy is the highest value and the man-woman relationship is read in a rather dialectical key. The Christian view can enrich and modulate this interpretation by adding to the discussion that autonomy is a fundamental value, but it must be framed in a relationship of communion. In the end, we are all dependent on one another. The goal to be achieved will therefore not only be to ensure equal power for all (which seems to be the approach of current policies in this regard). Autonomy and empowerment are certainly necessary conditions, but not ultimate goals. The Christian vision broadens the horizon and makes it clear that there is also a need for healing and education of the relationship between men and women.

Pope Francis has spoken clearly on violence against women. Let us hope that Catholic researchers can overcome their scruples, and get their hands dirty on an issue that is neither right-wing nor left-wing: it belongs to everyone. And the Gospel has much to say.

by Marta Rodriguez