BECOMING WHOLE AGAIN: THE GOAL OF WOMEN’S STRUGGLE AGAINST SEX ABUSE IN CATHOLIC SCHOOLS IN THE PHILIPPINES

This article focuses on sex abuse and abuse of power in Catholic schools in the Philippines. I argue that these schools should ground policy design and decision-making on the relational safety model developed by Maria Carmen B. La Viña and her colleagues at the Catholic Safeguarding Institute, and...

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Main Author: J.A. Cleofas
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: University of the Free State 2023-04-01
Series:Acta Theologica
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journals.ufs.ac.za/index.php/at/article/view/6179
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author J.A. Cleofas
author_facet J.A. Cleofas
author_sort J.A. Cleofas
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description This article focuses on sex abuse and abuse of power in Catholic schools in the Philippines. I argue that these schools should ground policy design and decision-making on the relational safety model developed by Maria Carmen B. La Viña and her colleagues at the Catholic Safeguarding Institute, and on a holistic pastoral approach developed by Nila Bermisa. The latter offers a life-giving vision on what to aim for in dealing with abuse as Christians, namely renewal and a movement toward fullness of life. I show that failure to reference the work of these two women is connected to the commission of egregious mistakes such as promoting silence and secrecy that further harm victims, partiality toward abusers, perpetuating organisational structures that correlate with abuse, and failing to listen to women who point to a connection between abuse and patriarchal Catholic culture.
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spelling doaj-art-c39fd666daa642cb806c2907209c4bb92025-02-11T09:31:40ZengUniversity of the Free StateActa Theologica1015-87582309-90892023-04-0110.38140/at.vi.6179BECOMING WHOLE AGAIN: THE GOAL OF WOMEN’S STRUGGLE AGAINST SEX ABUSE IN CATHOLIC SCHOOLS IN THE PHILIPPINESJ.A. Cleofas0University of the Philippines This article focuses on sex abuse and abuse of power in Catholic schools in the Philippines. I argue that these schools should ground policy design and decision-making on the relational safety model developed by Maria Carmen B. La Viña and her colleagues at the Catholic Safeguarding Institute, and on a holistic pastoral approach developed by Nila Bermisa. The latter offers a life-giving vision on what to aim for in dealing with abuse as Christians, namely renewal and a movement toward fullness of life. I show that failure to reference the work of these two women is connected to the commission of egregious mistakes such as promoting silence and secrecy that further harm victims, partiality toward abusers, perpetuating organisational structures that correlate with abuse, and failing to listen to women who point to a connection between abuse and patriarchal Catholic culture. https://journals.ufs.ac.za/index.php/at/article/view/6179VirtueAbuse of powerSafeguardingGrooming
spellingShingle J.A. Cleofas
BECOMING WHOLE AGAIN: THE GOAL OF WOMEN’S STRUGGLE AGAINST SEX ABUSE IN CATHOLIC SCHOOLS IN THE PHILIPPINES
Acta Theologica
Virtue
Abuse of power
Safeguarding
Grooming
title BECOMING WHOLE AGAIN: THE GOAL OF WOMEN’S STRUGGLE AGAINST SEX ABUSE IN CATHOLIC SCHOOLS IN THE PHILIPPINES
title_full BECOMING WHOLE AGAIN: THE GOAL OF WOMEN’S STRUGGLE AGAINST SEX ABUSE IN CATHOLIC SCHOOLS IN THE PHILIPPINES
title_fullStr BECOMING WHOLE AGAIN: THE GOAL OF WOMEN’S STRUGGLE AGAINST SEX ABUSE IN CATHOLIC SCHOOLS IN THE PHILIPPINES
title_full_unstemmed BECOMING WHOLE AGAIN: THE GOAL OF WOMEN’S STRUGGLE AGAINST SEX ABUSE IN CATHOLIC SCHOOLS IN THE PHILIPPINES
title_short BECOMING WHOLE AGAIN: THE GOAL OF WOMEN’S STRUGGLE AGAINST SEX ABUSE IN CATHOLIC SCHOOLS IN THE PHILIPPINES
title_sort becoming whole again the goal of women s struggle against sex abuse in catholic schools in the philippines
topic Virtue
Abuse of power
Safeguarding
Grooming
url https://journals.ufs.ac.za/index.php/at/article/view/6179
work_keys_str_mv AT jacleofas becomingwholeagainthegoalofwomensstruggleagainstsexabuseincatholicschoolsinthephilippines