Family: Synod topic is Domestic Church

James Kottor

Welcome Virginia Saldana to Church Citizens’ Voice(CCV) From now on let us  have CCV as the short form for this Site: Church Citizens’ Voice.

In welcoming our sister Virginia, I am welcoming, first, the Women Theologians of India. The first Women theologians group was known as  WORTH.  Fourteen of that group, had sent a letter on Oct.31st  1994 (See it in this scribe’s book: “Woman Why are you Weeping?”), to Pope John Paul II (not a declared saint then) and after that or because of that (post hoc or propter hoc?) all of them were dethroned from their respective responsible positions in the Church. Secondly I am inviting all members of the fairer sex, who constitute half of humanity to join in this discussion.

Dr James Kottoor

In welcoming our sister Virginia, I am welcoming, first, the Women Theologians of India. The first Women theologians group was known as  WORTH.  Fourteen of that group, had sent a letter on Oct.31st  1994 (See it in this scribe’s book: Virginia“Woman Why are you Weeping?”), to Pope John Paul II (not a declared saint then) and after that or because of that (post hoc or propter hoc?) all of them were dethroned from their respective responsible positions in the Church. Secondly I am inviting all members of the fairer sex, who constitute half of humanity to join in this discussion.

Pope Paul VI’s Profound Question

Equally I am harking back to the profound question raised by Pope Paul VI in the Vatican Council: “Where is the better half of humanity, the fairer half, in this Council?” To add to this may I quote freely the theological reason given by Cardinal João Braz de Aviz, prefect of the Vatican's Congregation for Religious, addressing the triennial meeting of the International Union of Superiors General (UISG), a membership group for approximately 2,000 leaders of Catholic sisters around the world, on Aug.12/13:

Gender inequality exists in the Catholic church because men and women forget they cannot be "fully human" without one another. “Man without woman is not fully human. And woman without man is not fully human either. Each without the other is a piece of humanity, incomplete." Then what  does it mean to be images and likeness of God?

It means men and women be together, not necessarily in marriage,  for they do not image God by themselves but only when they are together, think together, plan together and act together, in our case, in church related activities. It again means working together for building a united global family through local families of love and care to achieve the final goal of  “Vasudevakudumbakam,” God’s reign on earth envisioned by Jesus when he taught us to pray “Thy kingdom come here on earth, as in heaven.”

First Giant Step

The first giant step, not baby step, towards achieving this dream goal is to build solid humanely human FAMILIES. It is this one idea that Francis Pappa has been sweating it out to drive home to the people of God (bishops and church citizens) during this two year global study on: “ Challenges facing Christian Families”  If so are we all – His Eminences, His Beatitudes,  His Graces, His Excellencies, Most Revds, Rt.Revds, Revds and the Non-Revd Mr. & Mrs. Laity (Church citizens) – listening, reflecting, discussing and doing anything on parish, diocesan, regional and national level in India seriously ordered by the anxious Pope?

This is the moot question on which Team Virginia and all women folk in India working in harmony with their male counter parts should strive to answer and make appropriate suggestions to the coming October Synod in Rome.

“New Wine requires new wineskins,” to quote Virginia, and new visions and liberative insights cannot be contained in old structures….Celebrating ‘inclusive table fellowship' in the family which is the domestic church as well as in Small Christian Communities which are the house churches” of today, where sharing experiences of joys and sorrows can help create bonds of support and solidarity, thereby building family and community”

So may this baby step taken by Virginia Saldana, be emulated by all women theologians in India and all Indian women who can think theologically, critically  or at least constructively on today’s ongoing discussion on family topics, in a family spirit, for which CCV is providing an open forum for both the so-called teaching and learning churches, to humbly learn first and also teach each other, only secondly.

Contact at:  Jkottoor@asianetindia.com, Mob: +91 9446219203

You may also like...

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.