Over the time I’ve been Catholic, I have attended a lot of webinars and listened to a lot of talks. These are the ones I refer to all the time.
Voices of Women Mary McAleese “The time is now for change in the Catholic Church”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9Q9VqkrfCw
St Phoebe Centre for the Deaconess “Why Are Deaconesses Needed in the Church today?”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-lNwd3jWjAs
Awake Milwaukee “Erased from the Narrative: The Role of Racism in the Abuse Crisis”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c51r4ZM6Tdg
Future Church’s TalkUp Tuesdays: “Residential Schools and the Catholic Church in Canada with D.W. Lafferty”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6gGPAQfBsc
RSA ANIMATE: Language as a Window into Human Nature by Steven Pinker
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-son3EJTrU
This talk, although not Catholic, presents insights that explain how the misuse and abuse of language and communication in clerical situations and groups functions to effectively control meaning and the evolution of narrative. Abuse is covered up, people can be isolated from the flock and silenced, especially women. The priest’s narrative can take on a life of its own, completely independent of the actual facts of a conversation, a Sacrament, a meeting, a decision. In this video, at the 8 minute mark, view Pinker’s diagrams about individual knowledge vs mutual knowledge i.e. when A knows that B knows, and B knows that A knows that B knows knows, then it’s out there in the community and it becomes real. Priests maintain control of reputations by cutting women out of the narrative, out of any opportunities to co-create meaning or have mutual knowledge, or compare notes with other parish members.
By stonewalling a target, often for years ~ while keeping a smile on his face and behaving well towards others ~ a priest can make his target look obsessive or aggressive or dishonest, simply by persisting in making sure all avenues to have her voice heard are CLOSED. I’m a convert to the Catholic Church, and it blows my mind that modern Canadian men and women allow this dynamic to persist in parishes. This idea of mutual knowledge explains why priests isolate victims quickly, and cut us off from the flow of information within a community. We’re not participating in ‘mutual knowledge’ – our stories get more and more outside ‘what
everyone else knows’.
Sherry Weddell on Forming Intentional Disciples
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RF9Amil5YVE
What’s Next? – Canon Law and Lay Involvement in Church Governance
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7BgYPXiY3o
(Article) Awake Community’s Courageous Conversations: Hans Zollner, SJ, Weighs in on Abuse in the Church
https://awakecommunity.squarespace.com/blog/courageous-conversation-in-discussion-led-by-survivors-vatican-advisor-hans-zollner-sj-weighs-in-on-abuse-in-the-church
This discussion opened up the lack of Church teachings on the interplay between sexual abuse and abuse of power by ordained men.
“Zollner acknowledged that the power imbalance in the Church has indeed been a “frequent means of abusing others,” in a range of ways, from sexual abuse to cases of supervisor-employee harassment. Zollner added that despite being “a central human reality,” the topic of power has received little attention in the Church, and he believes the Church could benefit from being more open and transparent about how power operates. “What does Church power look like, what should its exercise lead to, and how can we avoid the abuse of power especially within the Church?” Zollner asked.
The conferral of sacred power at ordination can give rise to a mentality that priests are holier than others and can do whatever they wish. “It’s just astounding, for example, that we have no spirituality of power in the Church,” he said, which could provide guidance to both clergy and laity. “How can powerful people like priests, bishops, and provincials give up that type of omnipotent demeanor,” he asked, and receive direction regarding the exercise of power and authority?”
Note: When I first read this article, I believe it said “there is no theology of power in the Church.”
A House United: Dr. Janet Smith
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NxGZ6V1Zu3Q
I appreciated Dr Smith’s candor about her shock at the corruption at the Bishop level. From there, I think back to the Jeremy Cruz’s candor in the panel discussion and racism and sexual abuse in the Church (above) about how “church structures are a threat to life.” Dr Smith also asserts that corruption at the Bishop level has also lead to good priests being cancelled. Hmm.If it can be named, it can be fixed. If Bishops don’t want it named, then Catholic lay people have evidence Bishops don’t want it fixed. Where that’s true, lay Catholics have an avenue to force compliance with the help of non-Church authorities. “Clean up your house, or it will be cleaned up for you.” Perhaps Big Religion needs to undergo the same focused attention as rogue Big Tech CEOs are experiencing. And are vocations to the priesthood and religious life down because of corruption and poor leadership? We could use a renewal in a voluntary workforce that values simple living, study/work and service at the margins.
Magnanimity: A virtue for polarized times featuring Alexandre Havard May 27, 2023 by CAPP Canada
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8UAm7NzO83c
Catholics have been taught humility in a way that leads to timidity or pusillanimity. Havard suggests a different understanding of humility, which leads to a sense magnanimity i.e. a willingness to do great things and share that with the world.