Nikki Dhillon Keane, Head of Safe in Faith, reflects on a recent webinar on the themes of domestic abuse and gender justice in the Church, held to commemorate the feast of St Rita of Cascia.
On 22nd May, the Church marks the memorial of St Rita of Cascia. Not as widely celebrated as others, it is nevertheless a significant day for many. This is because during her life, St Rita was subjected to domestic abuse, and now is honoured as the patron saint of abused women.
In the UK, one in three women and girls will be subjected to domestic abuse or sexual harm during their lifetime. Last year, the UK government declared Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) to be a national emergency. Around the world, a woman is murdered by a partner or family member every 11 minutes.
At Safe in Faith, we organise training and share resources to equip Catholic parishes, therapists and counselling professionals from all faith backgrounds to respond to this crisis. And while such support is vital, it is not enough. Ending violence against women and girls requires a deep-rooted cultural change, which begins with the simple question: ‘Why do so many men harm women?’
Safe in Faith joined the CSAN Domestic Abuse Alliance and the National Board of Catholic Women to mark the feast of St Rita with a webinar, to explore this question through the lens of gender justice in the Church.
The event opened with a presentation by Emma Scott from Restored UK, who reflected on the horrific violence against women from the Book of Judges; to which, as some Bible translations render it, the people responded: ‘We must do something, so speak up!’ (Judges 19:30).
To that end, speakers at the webinar described the different ways in which they have been speaking up and taking action, for example Restored UK with their excellent resources and training for Christian churches.
Claire Grant from CAFOD also shared their Believe in Change gender justice toolkit, and discussed the work they are doing to protect women around the world. We also heard from Natalie Collins, a gender justice specialist and founder of Own My Life, who spoke about how she supports victims and survivors, and addressed common myths used to excuse perpetrators’ behaviour (for example how personality disorders or addiction are known not to be causal factors for abuse). Stressing the importance of speaking honestly about abuse, she encouraged us to recognise that ‘perpetrators abuse because it benefits them.’
Finally, Mandy Marshall, the director for gender justice for the Anglican Communion, spoke about the prevalence of violence against women in Christian communities, and the work of the Anglican Communion around the world to respond to this problem.
There was a strong sense of all of us, including men, working together with a common aim: to explore gender justice and what we can all do together to create a safer, fairer world.
The late Pope Francis often spoke of the ‘scourge’ of domestic abuse and gender-based violence, calling each one of us to respond to this crisis. In October 2023, he said: ‘It is necessary to act immediately, at all levels, with determination, urgency and courage.’
Those of us who want to answer Pope Francis’ call to action and honour St Rita’s legacy must commit to doing more to address gender injustice and harm against women and girls, both around the world and in our parishes and communities.
Here are some simple ways you can get involved:
- Check out the links and resources in this article
- Find out more about our training and events
- Invite Safe in Faith to visit your deanery
- Set up a safe space in your parish through our ‘Ask for Mary’ project, for people in danger to use the phone or internet to seek help
- Use our signposting toolkit to help someone find the support they need
- Check in with someone you’re worried about
- Support Safe in Faith
Whichever way you choose to honour the legacy and courage of St Rita, let us carry with us the words from the Book of Judges: ‘We must do something, so speak up!’
Safe in Faith works to foster safe, faith-informed support for survivors of Domestic Abuse and exploitation, through resources and training. We work with clergy and parish volunteers to help parishes signpost survivors to appropriate help, and run training sessions for psychotherapists and counselling professionals to enable them to offer support tailored to the needs of believers.
Image: Fr Lawrence Lew OP
