MOTU PROPRIO VOS ESTIS LUX MUNDI, CBCI GUIDELINES AND THE STATE LAW ON SEXUAL HARASSMENT

DEALING WITH SEXUAL ABUSE BY CLERICS

Authors

  • Albertina Almeida

Keywords:

CBCI Guidelines, Feminist Christian Theology, Plural Frameworks of Governance, Sexual Abuse by Clerics, Vos estis lux mundi, Women in the Bible

Abstract

Recent Catholic Church documents on sexual abuse, that is, the CBCI Guidelines on dealing with Sexual Harassment at the Workplace, and the Pope’s Motu Proprio Vos Estis Lux Mundi are a measure of Christian theological praxis bearing witness in a patriarchal society ridden with various axis of discrimination. There is now a specific tripartite framework for dealing with sexual harassment of women by clerics, under a polycentric governance comprising of The Holy See, the Indian Catholic Church, and the Indian/State Government. When each of the component frameworks is compared and contrasted, one can see the infusion of Christian theological perspectives. It is argued that feminist Christian theology has the potential to birth a praxis that can hold a liberating potential for women to experience sexual harassmentfree lives.

Author Biography

Albertina Almeida

Albertina Almeida is a lawyer, human rights activist, independent researcher and gender trainer. She has been practising law for the last thirty years. As a student, she was the Vice-President of the All India Catholic University Federation (AICUF) and was responsible for organising the first Workshop on the Women’s Question in 1986. She holds a PhD in law. She is a visiting lecturer teaching gender, human rights and law at the Department of Women’s Studies, Goa University. She is also Co-Convenor of Citizens’ Initiatives for Communal Harmony, Goa, and the Managing Trustee of Saad Aangan, a gender resource group. She is a member of the Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development. She has written extensively in the local press. Email: advalbertinaalmeida@gmail.com

References

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Published

2019-06-30

How to Cite

Almeida, A. (2019). MOTU PROPRIO VOS ESTIS LUX MUNDI, CBCI GUIDELINES AND THE STATE LAW ON SEXUAL HARASSMENT: DEALING WITH SEXUAL ABUSE BY CLERICS. Asian Horizons, 13(02), 237–252. Retrieved from https://dvkjournals.in/index.php/ah/article/view/2140