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The Pastoral Circle Revisited. A Critical Quest for Truth and
Transformation
Frans Wijsen, Peter Henriot, Rodrigo Mejía, editors,
Maryknoll, New York: Orbis Books, 2005
[In 1980 Joe Holland and Peter Henriot
published Social Analysis: Linking Faith and Justice.]
Foreword by Jon Sobrino
p X [...] “in order to know and analyze reality we need to insert
ourselves in it (in Christian terms, incarnation); we need to develop a
transforming praxis (in Christian terms, to build, or more modestly, to
initiate the reign of God, guided by prophesy and utopia, in following Jesus);
we need to accept the risks that entails (in Christian terms, persecution and
the cross); we need to be open to the leading, the energy, values and salvation
that reality offers (in Christian terms, the grace, the gift, the fire of God
most naturally found on the underside of history).”
p XII “The negative side of reality is expressed today in terms like underdevelopment,
developing countries, less-privileged classes. [...] And we almost never
speak of injustice. The positive side is expressed in terms like democracy,
dialogue, international cooperation and solidarity, prosperity, progress, human
rights, the state of law - good things, obviously, although they are
affirmed with various degrees of truth and hypocrisy. But we almost never speak
of justice.
[...] The reality of our world is what it is: deplorable. It is a
dialectical reality with injustice as its principal cause.
p XVII [...] “a Christian response to suffering in the world [includes]
an insistence on these three things, which I consider absolutely necessary: (1)
to let ourselves be affected by the reality we are analyzing, (2) to reclaim
justice and injustice as essential categories, and (3) to place faith on the
side of justice and against injustice.”
Introduction (Roots of the Pastoral Circle in Personal Experiences and
Catholic Social Tradition), by Joe Holland
p 8 “At the macro-level liberation theology sought to change the entire
social system of the industrial-capitalist periphery of Latin America.
Implicitly, it appears from the literature, the desired transformation would be
some revisionist form of socialism, presumably democratic and open to religion,
and decentralist and communitarian in orientation - in contrast to the reigning
state-centered models of nationalization required in
the secular socialist and communist traditions.
Today, with hindsight we might say that liberation theology’s optimistic
hopes for dramatic transformations proved naive, especially in the wake of the
tens of thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands, of Latin America victims of
repression during the last three decades of the twentieth century. But naive
optimism does not invalidate the mission of seeking fundamental systemic
transformation; indeed, the need for fundamental transformation seems now more
urgent than ever, though not as originally imagined in the framework of the
early liberation movement.”
p 10 [...] “the structure of papal social encyclicals from 1740 forward
generally follows a three-step model quite similar to Cardijn’s
“see, judge, act” method and to liberation theology’s three moments of social
analysis, theological reflection and pastoral planning. These encyclicals
typically begin with a diagnosis of the social problems confronting society and
the church within it; they next move to retrieve from the faith tradition
appropriate biblical and theological wisdom to evaluate these problems
(generally viewed in negative terms); and finally, in light of this wisdom,
they propose pastoral lines of strategy.
p 12 “It is my sincere hope that other authors in this volume will
address the issue of postmodernity, as well as other
challenges for the future use of the pastoral circle, such as ethnicity, gender
and ecology.”
Social Discernment and the Pastoral Circle, by Peter Henriot
p 15 [Social analysis being forbidden in the Philippines as too Marxist,
too provocative and too dangerous] “the program went ahead, with workshops
offered not as social analysis but as social discernment. Very Jesuitical,
one friend told me. [... Also in this sense that] God’s action in history is “discernible”through carefully paying heed to one’s feelings,
causes of deepest movements, desires rooted in values, and steps toward
action.”
p 16 “Discernment done with a social foundation [analysis], a social
purpose [faith tradition], and a social consequence [response] becomes a way of
sharing in God’s action in history.
But this “reading” is not simply cognitive, an intellectual
exercise leading to understanding. It is also affective and effective:
Affective in the sense of touching the deepest of our values and
strongly motivating our responses. Effective in the
sense of organizing our responses with planning, execution and evaluation.
Such a threefold description of faith has been used by theologian Avery Dulles,
SJ.”
p 24-25 [Four lessons about the use of the pastoral
circle by small Christian communities, bishops’ conferences, healing groups or
whatever:]
“1. Genuine contact with experience is essential. Scholarly reports will
not do, only lived reality.
2. Analysis, discovering the why of the what, may be simple as well as
complex. It is a move from the anecdotical to the
structural on one or more levels: economic, political, cultural and religious.
3. Reflection must be given much more prominence, especially faith-based
reflection. It is a way of shining the light of faith (a particular kind of
faith) on the experience that has been analyzed.
4. Response should always be the aim of going around the pastoral
circle. Without the planning, action, and evaluation phases of response, there
is no consequence of the efforts put in.”
The Pastoral Circle. A Strategy for
Justice and Peace, by Juan José Luna
p 28-29 “Through his books Paulo Freire
gave me important insights about a participatory method of education that are
very useful for the practice of the pastoral circle. Some of those from Education
as the Practice of Freedom (1990) that are
particularly significant are:
1. Critical consciousness is the motor of cultural emancipation.
2. Education is the practice of freedom.
3. People submerged in the culture of silence have to emerge as
conscious makers of their own culture.
4. The educatees are not passive recipients of
knowledge.
5. The educator is not a teacher who is depositing knowledge into
passive recipients. On the contrary, education is an educator-educatee in dialogue with educatee-educators.
Educators can learn together with educatees.
6. Education is not an individualistic matter. It implies small groups
that are able to dialogue.
7 In the problem-solving approach an expert stands some distance from
reality, analyzes it into component parts, devises means for resolving
difficulties in the most effective way, and then offers a strategy or policy.
8. In the reflective group exercise all participants have to dialogue
with others whose historical “vocation” is to become transforming agents of
their social reality.
9. Action without critical reflection and even without gratuitous
contemplation is disastrous activism. And theory or introspection in the
absence of collective social action is escapist idealism or wishful thinking.
10. All people are important and merit active respect.
11. Liberating education is possible.
His book Extension or Communication added new insights:
1. Genuine dialogue with peasants is incompatible with simply
“extending” to them technical expertise or agricultural know-how.
2. There is no room in development language for the term donors
and recipients.
3. There is an oppressive character in all nonreciprocal relationships.
4. The goal of developmental change is to transform people, not merely
to change structures.
5. The mark of a successful educator is not skill in persuasion but the
ability to dialogue with educatees in a mode of
reciprocity.
6. No change agent or technical expert has the right to impose personal
opinion on others.
7. Authentic communication is possible.”
p 29 “Some people dealt with issues of justice and peace without a
Christian approach; others dealt with “pastoral”issues
without the social dimension of faith. It was this that prompted me to promote
the use of the pastoral circle, precisely because it links faith and justice.”
p 30-31 “It has been said that a parish priest is
always a powerful person, not because he is able to do everything, but
because he is able to stop everything. The same certainly applies to a
bishop!
p 34 [Cardinal Wilfred Napier (Durban) at the IMBISA (Inter-regional
Meeting of the Bishops of Southern Africa) Sixth Plenary Assembly, Harare,
September 2001:]
“I’m sure our statement [at the end of the Assembly] will call on our
governments, the international community and our donor partners to provide us
with the material resources, since we lack them.
But is it true that we are so lacking in resources? What about the themselves? Don’t they have the most necessary resource,
namely their strong sense of dignity and self-belief, which can make all the
difference?”
p 38 “Insertion and analysis, the first and second
steps of the pastoral circle, should not be done by someone coming from outside
the situation, but by the people living in the situation. Paulo Freire’s method of dialogue and conscietization
is crucial to allow people to become subjects - transforming agents of their
social reality and of their own history - instead of objects of study by
others.”
“The fourth step (planning for response) must never be omitted or the
pastoral circle becomes merely a theoretical exerciese
unrelated to the transformation of societt and/or
church.” [In fact, the all-important chapter outlining a pastoral plan for
action was omitted in IMBISA’s publication about the
2001 Assembly.]
Pitfalls in the Use of the Pastoral Circle, by Josef Elsener
p 41 “In the analysis phase of the circle, the psychological, social,
organisational factors involved in the situation being analyzed for the purpose
of transformation should be looked at: the factors favoring
or hindering change, possible resistance to change, leadership needed for
transformation and change. It should be asked whether the particular situation
and culture under analysis produce people with a critical attitude, and where
they can be found. Individuals and groups of people who have a critical
attitude and can act as transformation or change agents should be identified.”
p 42 [The experience of the fourth CELAM conference in Latin-America] “When
the bishops eventually gathered for the conference in Santo Domingo from
October 12 to October 18, 1992, they were forced under difficult working
conditions to accept a draft of a final document that departed from the three
steps of “see,
judge, and act” and replaced it with the deductive method. [...] Each part and
the chapters in them first present the doctrine and then draw pastoral
conclusions from the doctrine.” [This is called a hermeneutical shift.]
p 45 “Although inculturation remains a legitimate
aim of all missionary and pastoral activity, there appears to be a shift toward
a more dialectic approach. Even if positive elements of African traditional
religion are accepted, more importance is given to the break with the past that
Christ has brought. There are frequent warnings against syncretism.”
p 46 “The members of the communities are of course aware of the immense
social problems but without a reflection guide they find it too threatening to
mention them. Without reflection guides they also lack the terminology and the
simple methods of linking the biblical text and the pressing social issues.”
p 48-49 “The analysis of the root causes of the
problems, conflicts, and struggles in Africa concentrates almost entirely on
historical causes and on external factors. Internal factors are either hardly
mentioned at [...] or reduced to and explained away by external factors.”
p 51 [On omitting the action programme of IMBISA assembly] “One is left
with the impression that the mission of the church ends with proclaiming the
social teaching of the church or that the authors of the document merely wanted
ot provide the pastoral principles by which action
would be guided, arguing that it was not possible to provide common practical
solutions since the church as facing very different situations in the nine
countries of IMBISA.”
p 53 “One cannot stress enough the need for evaluation. Church
conferences and meetings usually end up with a number of resolutions and
recommendations but without deciding who is going to monitor and evaluate the
implementation of these decisions.”
Can the Pastoral Circle Transform a Parish, by Christine Bodewes
p 61 “For the team facilitating the pastoral circle, this [feedback]
part of the social/cultural analysis was the most satisfying. There was a
spontaneous and visible transformation in the people as they recognized their
own ideas and suggestions and realized they had been listened to. For the first time they were able to identify
what they could do, both individually and collectively as a church, to respond
to the problems they had identified.”
p 62 “It should be noted that the team decided to add
HIV/AIDS as a possible issue for every sub-parish to choose, even though it was
not one of the original fifteen socioeconomic problems. The team observed
early on that the mere mention of HIV/AIDS “shut down” the group and ended the
discussion. People simply refused to discuss this topic.”
p 62-63 [Building a tree] “Using the information
provided by the participants, the facilitator wrote the name of the priority
issue on the “tree trunk.” As the discussion progressed, the facilitator labeled the tree roots as the root causes of the problems
and added separate leaves on the branches as the effects were identified.”
p 64 “After completing the pastoral plan, a process that took almost two
years, the participants wanted to celebrate their achievement and share it with
the whole parish community. In a Mass held outside to accommodate over two
thousand people, the parish priest offered up the social/cultural analysis and
the parish plans at the offertory in a colorful and
exciting celebration.
p 64-65 “From the beginning of the pastoral circle
process it was evident that the power structure in the parish was an issue of
contention. Historically, the parish priest and the parish pastoral council had
made decisions with little or no participation by the parishioners. After
reviewing the findings of the pastoral circle, the parish priest, in
consultation with the parish leaders, nade fundamental
changes to this top-down structure of the parish by decentralizing power. The
parish structure essentially changed from a triangle, with the parish priest at
the top and the Christians at the bottom, to a circle, with the parish priest,
leaders, and Christians interacting mor
equitably.”
p 67 “In the past many people were excluded from
decision-making processes because of unspoken rules of exclusion. For example, a
woman who was a second wife, or not married in the church, would be excluded
from many parish activities, especially decision-making.
p 70 “A more fundamental factor [than weather] influenced the
participation in the theological reflection and pastoral planning moments. What
we called “pastoral circle fatigue” was experienced by both parishioners and
the facilitating team. After a year of meetings people simply did not have the
enthusiasm to attend or to engage as actively in discussion and reflection. Nor
did the team members always have the energy to inspire participants.”
The Pastoral Circle as Spirituality. Toward an Open and
Contextual Church, by Johannes Banawiratma
[This contribution elaborates on the pastoral circle not so much as a
method or a strategy, but as a spirituality of openness. In the context of
Indonesia this means a church not enclosed upon itself but open to and in
dialogue with the poor, the cultures of the country and the different
religions.]
p 74 “A basic Christian community is not exclusive. Christ’s gospel
invites us to develop brotherhood and sisterhood with all people. Therefore, a
basic Christian community is open to the development of becoming a basic human
community. That shows concerns for the struggles for the common good and
integral human liberation. [...] The basic human community is a response to the
demands of the Christian faith in the midst of identity claims within our
multicultural and multireligious context. [...]
People of different faiths and religions can mutually enrich and help each
other to come closer to the Ultimate Mystery (Panikkar
1978; Dunne 1978).
p 76 “Every religion has its own historical experience and its own
values. It is not just a preparation for the gospel or a deviation from the
gospel. Christianity is not meant to promote a ghetto or a “Christian tribe.”
Christians are called to discern and to follow the presence and the work of the
Spirit blowing within and outside the church. The historical limit of
revelation and of human condition brings an obligation to be open to others. To
be religious today is to be interreligious; to be
faith is to practice interfaith dialogue. [In this regard, the author uses
the term: basic interfaith community. Combined with the basic human community
discussed above he also uses the term: contextual community.]
p 77 “The tension between particularity and
universality cannot be overcome by abstract formulation, but only by
dialectical and continuous communication.”
p 78 “The poor are not objects of Christian charity. They are subjects
and agents of social change. Therefore, the most appreciative service to them
is companionship in such a way that they themselves are able to control their
lives.
Their poverty is rooted especially in structural injustice, where the
unjust power of the dominating system affects different areas of life. Thus
economic, political, and cultural injustices are interconnected. Women suffer
not only because of social injustice; they are also subordinated and
discriminated against as women. The minority and the weak, in the case of race,
ethnic group, religion, or age, can be treated unjustly by the majority and the
strong. Here the human rights issue comes up. In addition, we should remember
the ecological aspect, because the poor have no choice but to live with the
destruction of the environment.”
p 79 “The whole process of the pastoral circle needs
prayer and contemplation.” [For the author, the Gospel of Jesus Christ informs the
whole process. Engaging with reality in Christ and growing during this process
is a deepening spirituality.]
Theological Constants and Theological Reflections. The Question of
Truth in the Pastoral Circle, by José de Mesa
p 90 “We cannot
assume that a theology is necessarily true or faithful to the Judeo-Christian
tradition when it is relevant to people’s experience. A theology that
makes sense may not automatically be in harmony with the gospel.”
p 91 “Without suggesting in any way that these two accompanying and
indispensable criteria [the actual practice of Christian life and the consensus
fidelium] are of less importance, I wish to focus
and limit my attention at this juncture on the element of theological
verification of faith statements.”
[...] “We remember that truth can never be possessed but only “aimed at”
(attingere veritatem).
Human formulations are very fragile indications of truth, especially when we
heed the wisdom found in apophatic theology. Human
statements concerning our faith experience are really a paradoxical combination
of the absolute, “the Truth,” and the relative, the historical culture.”
p 92 “Caution is needed when encountering claims that a theology is
automatically faithful to the tradition or orthodox if it is the official
theology of a given church, say the Roman Catholic Church through its Vatican
agencies. Historical awareness has made us realize that even official church
teaching can be mistaken. There is, for instance, the solemnly declared
doctrine of extra ecclesiam nulla
salus of the Council of Florence-Ferrara, which
has been revised in Vatican II (see Lumen gentium,
no.16).”
p 93 “The use of constant theological elements ,
or simply constants, discovered in the diversity of faith expressions at
different times and different places as guide may provide an answer to our
inquiry.” [not just serving professional theologians
but also the practitioners of the pastoral circle]
p 96 “In his [Schillebeeckx’s] analysis there
are four such [New Testament] constants: (1) a basic theological and
anthropological principle: God wills the salvation of human beings in and
through history and people find their fulfillment
through this divine action; (2) a christological
mediation: it is Jesus of Nazareth who reveals definitely who God is and who
human beings are before God; (3) the message and lifestyle of the church, the
following of Jesus, and the embodiment of hi Spirit in today’s world; and (4)
eschatological fulfillment: God’s salvific
will, though already operative in our world (“already”), cannot be confined
within the boundary of our history and therefore looks toward a future (“not
yet”).”
[The author then goes on to find theological constants in the
sacraments, which he applies to the Philippine situation where he finds a local
term, not used so far to denote sacramental reality, leaving the constants
intact.]
The Practical-Theological Spiral. Bridging Theology
in the West and the Rest of the Word, by Frans Wijsen
p 108 “In general European theology is said to be theoretical, abstract,
and context free, whereas third-world theology is practical, concrete, and
contextual. There is a divide between “academic” theology and “applied”
theology, and between the practitioners of the two forms of theology, academics
and activists.”
p 109 “The practical-theological spiral [as Wijsen
renames the pastoral circle] is not just a pastoral method aimed at problem
solving but also a strategy for developing theories in the scientific sense of
the word - a grounded theory approach to theology.”
p 113 “To what extent is commitment a necessary step
in constructing authentic and relevant theology? Most European theologians
would accept that commitment is important, but a scientific theologian cannot
be overly committed, for it would entail a risk that the practice would no
longer be critically questioned. Thus, whereas third-world theologians stress
involvement in practice, European theologians stress distance from practice.
The task facing theology is to strike a balance between the two.”
p 115 “I am not primarily interested in ideas (beliefs) but in the
dialectical relation between cognitive structures (such as cultural symbolism)
and social structures (for example, power relations). This focus brings the
actor back in the study of religion and theology. It makes the
practical-theological spiral quite different from a systematic-theological
approach, which is primarily interested in the contents of faith, more
particularly in a coherent interpretation of those contents.”
p 116 “He [Pierre Bourdieu] tries to overcome
the classical distinction between subjectivism and objectivism, phenomenology
and structuralism, by stressing the dialectical relation between reality and
the representation of that reality in the mind. By conducting research,
scientists not only discover what is “out there”, but to a large extent they
construct what they try to discover. The “creation”of
ethnic groups by cultural anthropologists serves as an example. Bourdieu tries to reduce subjectivism through participatory
objectification. By this phrase he understands the objectification of the
subject of the objectification, that is, the researcher himself or herself. The
aim is not to analyze the researcher’s experience but to analyze the societal
conditions of that experience.”
[In Wijsen’s renaming of the pastoral circle
he modifies the first step, which is foundational for all the other steps.
There is a shift from full insertion to participant observation to participant
objectification, making oneself aware that insertion
always occurs in a specific social position that colours the experience and
consequently the knowledge derived form the experience.]
The impact of the Pastoral Circle in Teaching Pastoral Theology, by
Rodrigo Mejía
p 128 “The starting point [of the pastoral circle] is neither the lectio [a reading from sacred scripture] nor the
question directly proposed by the biblical text, but rather real questions
touching human life.”
p 131 “The second step of the pastoral circle is usually called social
analysis. By this we mean analysis of the social situation - its structures and
the root causes of problems - as completely as a possible. Thus complex task
calls for the use of the human sciences, among which sociology plays a
preponderant though not exclusive role. Anthropology, psychology, history,
political science, and economics also play a crucial role in this analysis.”
p 132-133 “The third step of the pastoral circle is
known as theological reflection. [...] The question here is not to choose
between deduction and induction as if they were opposed and irreconcilable but
to reach a balance in using them.” [At this point the author calls attention to
Catholic social teaching “as a tool and a very sound guide for theological
reflection on concrete situations”].
p 134-135 “The last stage and final purpose of the
pastoral circle is to plan a new pastoral praxis for the church. [...] In
modern times, thanks to liberation theologians, theology is not only oriented
toward a better understanding of faith but also toward a transformation of the
world in the light of faith, that is toward Christian praxis.”
Teaching Missiology in
Context. Adaptations of the Pastoral Circle, by Madge Karecki
p 137-138 “The use of the pastoral circle was introduced as a means to
enable students to do rather than simply study missiology [...] By using the cycle, students begin to see
that change is possible; with it they and their communities can do something to
change their reality so that it reflects principles of justice and integrity.”
p 142 “This kind of praxis-oriented learning is real
and meaningful and engages students as whole persons. In this cycle,
analysis and critical reflection lead to the development of strategies for
mission. “
[...] Perhaps the most significant addition and adaptation to the
pastoral circle lies at the center of the cycle of
mission praxis. In an effort to enable students to develop the capacity for
reflecting on their own motivation for mission, I have placed spirituality at
the center of the cycle. It is encircled with a
broken line because it permeates every stage of the cycle.
Punishment and Liberation. How the Pastoral
Circle Transforms Our Theologies, by Gerrit Singgih
p 159 “From the perspective of religious plurality as the context of
Indonesia, I think it is important that we learn to see our congregations not
as the people of God but as the disciples of Jesus Christ and all the
peoples as the people of God.”
p 160-161 “If non-Christians are involved, then the
Bible cannot become the sole source of theological reflection. The students
(and the teachers) are at first at a loss in this situation. Their background
of fundamentalism with exclusive claims makes it very difficult for them to
undertake this form of interreligious reflection. But
slowly they come up with reflections on parallel themes [...] In the Bible and
the theological traditions of Christianity as well as in the Qur’an and Hadith, there are
parallel themes on how to cope with suffering, injustice, hope and liberation.
But it is also clear that in all scriptures there are texts that are negative
toward people outside the flock and condemnations of their tenets. My idea of
parallel themes is taken from studies of two Muslim theoligians,
Ali Ashgar Engineer from India and Farid Esack from South Africa.
Both stress the liberation element in the Qur’an.
Based on these parallel themes in their scriptures and religious traditions,
both Christians and Muslims could reflect on their problematic situation. In
turn, this interreligious reflection could inspire
them to act together.”
p 163-164 “The tendency to relate suffering with divine
punishment is common in Indonesian religious thinking. [...] I am always
unhappy with biblical texts that refer to punishment on a cosmic scale, such as
the flood. [...] In divine cosmic punishment, the innocent suffer and die.
There is (from our present point of view) a certain
arbitrariness in God’s punishment.”
p 165 “After years of following the process of the
pastoral circle with my students, I cannot always hold onto my liberal views,
which I inherited from modern study of theology in the West. [...] I detected
the hope of the people that God as a just God would punish the powerful ones
who make the people suffer. [...] And when Soeharto
and his cronies did fall, this unpredicted event was seen as fulfillment of the people’s hope. [...] If there is a
theological concept of divine punishement that
inspires people to break the status quo, what is wrong with that?
p166 “I struggled to free my students from their fundamental traits, but
in turn, I discovered that the people caused me to relativize
my own liberal convictions. [...] Going around the pastoral circle transforms
not only social situations but also theologies and, indeed, individuals.”
A Cycle Opening to Pluralism, by Michael Amalamadoss
p 175 “I want to take as my starting point the pluralism of ideologies,
cultures, and religions both locally and globally and ask how we can carry on
our analysis-reflection-action project in such a situation of pluralism. Should
pluralism necessarily end up in conflict, or can we think of collaboration?”
p 176 “Every religion, culture, and ideology has its own utopia. But is
it possible to agree on a common utopia? Moving beyond broad themes like peace,
justice, and democracy, there is the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and
other conventions on social and economic rights that the United Nations has
evolved over the years. [...] At the time of the Second World Parliament of
Religions the participants agreed upon a global ethic that all could promote (Küng and Kushel 1993).”
p 177 [According
to Amalamadoss the large agreement on basic values is
sufficient for a dialogical reflection, which aims “at an overlapping consensus
on the goals they can pursue and on the action projects they can initiate
together. This will involve some give and take. A consensus at this level will
lead them to collaborate in political action”.
p 178 [The consensus at the more practical level of projects for action
may also lead to a dialogue between the different perspectives and convictions
that lay behind the action proposals. A certain convergence may take place.]
p 179-180 [This kind of dialogue has consequences for
theologizing ] “When theology reaches out to the “other” who is not a believer,
it becomes apologetic, seeking to explain theological perspectives and
convictions in a way that the “other”can understand
and perhaps even accept. [...] It cannot base itself on authority [of
revelation and tradition] but has to show itself reasonable and relevant to
life experience.
[The influence of life experience may lead to a reinterpretation of our
faith expression] “The object of our faith commitment is God and God does not
change. But our understanding of God and of God’s plan as expressed in our
faith statements can be subject to reinterpretation.”
[A reinterpretation may also take place because of the challenges of
other believers to our presuppositions and perspectives.] “Theology here is
becoming dialogical. Its reflection is taking place in dialogue with other
religions, cultures and ideologies. So we move from apologetic to dialogical
theology. Such dialogical theology would normally be mutually prophetic,
especially when religions tend to justify existing unjust structures. But it is
for each religious group to interiorize the challenge of the other and
transform itself. Challenges can come from outside, but transformation cannot
be imposed from outside. It has to come form within.”
[...] “The theology that emerges out of the pastoral cycle therefore
will be apologetic, contextual, dialogical and transformative.”
Engendering the Pastoral Cycle, by Maria Riley
p 184-185 “My approach to social analysis is shaped by
a feminist gender lens. [...] Given this perspective, what is striking but not
particularly surprising is the critical absence of gender analysis in the
social-analysis process developed by the authors [Joe Holland and Peter Henriot]. When the book was written (1980) the global
women’s movement had begun, but gender-aware knowledge was at a very early
stage.”
p 186 “The lens of feminist analysis has expanded to include an
integrated approach that links the household to local, national, and global
systemic macro-economic policy and has moved from a WID (women in development)
to GAD (gender and development) and beyond.” [This changed followed the
realization that progress in addressing women’s poverty at the local level,
through credit availibility, land reform, and
training and education was wiped out by the structural adjustment policies (SAPs) of IMF and World Bank. The privatization of essential
services that these policies required shifted the cost and the burden of these
services mainly to women and girls, trying to augment the income of their
families in the cash economy and carrying the primary responsibility of social reproduction, that is the care of the household and the
well-being of community, the unpaid care economy. ]
p 187 “These realities shaped the emerging feminist economic analysis of
macro-economic policies and challenged mainstream economic theories and the
financial institutions that promulgate then to attend not only to economic efficiency,
but also to the social and gender impact of their policies from the household
to the global.”
p192 “Putting social policies at the center of
economic policies would change the criteria for judging effectiveness. The
soundness of economic policies would not be based on market criteria, per se,
but in terms of whether they ultimately succeed in bringing societies to
greater social justice.”
p 192-193 Theological reflection offers some specific challnges. In 1963, in Pacem
in Terris, Pope John XXIII identified women’s
growing participation in public life as one of the “signs of the times”(no. 41). [...] It has been God’s revelation breaking
history, challenging the time-honored theory that
men, by virtue of being male, deserve the right to govern and control all
dimensions of society and that women should be subordinate to them.”
p 193 Catholic social teaching explicitly defines the care of the family
as women’s primary role. The father’s role in the family as
seen only in economic terms. To so emphasize that women are primarily
responsible for the quatlity of family life
diminishes the social role and value of fatherhood while it disenfrancihises
women from the full potential of their personhood. Finally, while Catholic
social teaching recognizes women’s responsibility for the family, it lacks a
political-economic analysis of social reproductive work - the care economy and
the role it plays in social structures as well as in women and men’s lives.”
Redeeming Social Analysis. Recovering the
Hidden Religious Dimensions of Social Change, by James Hug
p. 196 “My colleagues and I prefer to call it [pastoral circle] a
pastoral spiral. Since the process of experience or insertion, social analysis,
theological reflection, and pastoral planning is aimed at change, the end point
is, ideally, not the same as the beginning point. The “circle”does
not close it gives rise to a new experience that then must be analyzed,
reflected on theologically, and then gives rise to further action.”
p 197 “The context in which I make use of the pastoral spiral method
[...] is the world of UN conferences, meetings of the World Bank and
International Monetary Fund, negotiations at the World Trade Organization and
in regional arenas, as well as the meetings of global civil society that often
accompany the official meetings or are called to address the issues they are
dealing with.” [This context is a context of conflict of perspectives and
values, so-called subjectivity, which cannot be ignored in the process of the
pastoral spiral].
p 198-199 “We need to be aware that entering upon the
process of the pastoral spiral is never a simple or clean start. We never start
from zero. [...] And when the context is one of high-stakes conflict,
understanding and dealing with what is shaping our experience and that of our
competitors are essential. [More still] The implementation of the pastoral
spiral methodology will be more adequate to the reality being addressed when
all the major types of people involved in and affected by that reality participate
together in the analysis, discernment, and planning. In gathering this
community, special attention must be given to including those whose experience,
perspectives, and values are most often overlooked or ignored - those in
poverty and marginalized or oppressed in the situation.” [As illustration Hug
discusses the difference between two documents, one produced by Catholic lay
people about Catholic Social Thought and the US Economy (1984) and the
pastoral letter of US Bishops Economic Justice for All (1986), the one
developed by a panel of 29 prominent Catholic lay persons and the other the
product of broad consultation of all the faithful..The first is a theological defence of
neo-liberalism by entrepreneurs and the second asks: What does the economy do for and to people
and how do people participate in it?]
p 209 “To use the pastoral spiral methodology fruitfully to uncover the
unjust social dynamics at play and sketch plans to make another, more just
world possible, our “experience” or “insertion observations [the first moment]
should include the relevant religious elements confronting us. Any social
analysis [the second moment] must include analysis of those theological factors
shaping, legitimating, and sustaining the status quo. Our theological reflection
[the third moment] must show that we have a more authentic faith vision to
offer than the one currently operative. And our planning [the fourth moment]
must include elements of religious motivation and guidance as well as religious
structures of legitimation to support the work for
social change.”
[In other words, as said on p 201:] “The religious element of each
moment in the pastoral spiral needs to be explicit to do justice to reality and
to direct social change in fruitful directions.”
Searching for Truth and the Right Thing to Do, by Dean Brackley
p 212 “We are exposed today as never before to a wide
range of world views and versions of “the good life.” [...] Pluralism is
here to stay, and it can enrich us in many ways. We can learn from the great
religions and the wealth of diverse cultures. At the same time, pluralism
undermines the authorities, traditions, and institutions that help people make
sense of life. And, unless, we are careful it can produce a paralyzing
relativism.”
p 213 “In this situation, traditional communities “circle
their wagons” to defend their identities and their traditions. Religions slide
into fundamentalism. Some people despair of finding the truth about
life’s meaning about morality, including intellectuals who cling to a narrow
positivism. A climate of relativism grows: “You have your truth - and your
morality - and I have mine.” This is a sure-fire formula for sabotaging a
social agenda and leaving society in the hands of its most powerful and least
scrupulous members. Meanwhile, elites everywhere lay hold of the means of
communication and broadcast a virulent political conservatism that discredits
any serious critique of the status quo.”
p 214 “That is where the pastoral circle comes in. It is neither a set
of doctrines nor a collection of moral norms; it is, rather, a discipline, a
path. It specifies criteria for authentic searching.”
p 216-217 “The first step is vital. Entering new worlds
and engaging people who are different from us broadens our horizon. Meeting
people of different faiths can do this. However, suffering people, especially
victims of injustice, do this in a unique and critical way. I frequently
witness this in El Salvador. [...] The impoverished show us that the world is
more cruel than we had thought, but more wonderful as well. When they accept us
as we are, when they insist on celebrating life and sharing their few
tortillas, they communicate hope. Sin abounds, but grace abounds even more (Rom
5:20).
p 217 “Few things paralyze like the pseudo-realism that is so
clear-sighted about human selfishness and so blind to goodness and grace and
the surprises they produce in history. This realpolitik
cannot move us beyond the war on terrorism, nuclear deterrents, razor wire, and
free market anarchy. Since reality is pregnant with new possibilities, utopian
imagination is essential to orient action.”
[Facing up to reality, especially that of the
victims of injustice, is one requirement for searching the truth and the right
thing to do. The second requirement is a personal transformation or
conversion:]
p 219 “Suffering people are a privileged place for healing our calling
to serve. By penetrating our defences and posing the crucial questions. When
that happens, something clicks deep within us. We feel drawn to serve, drawn
with a sense of fullness and satisfaction that Ignatius of Loyola calls
consolation. And consolation leads into the light.”
[The third requirement for searching the truth and the right thing to do
is, p 216,:] “a
wisdom-bearing community to support and challenge us, since we cannot sustain a
counter-cultural vision and commitment alone.”
p 221 “Contemporary pluralism offers communities the
chance to benefit from dialogue with other traditions. What needs
stressing today is that, unless we identify critically and creatively with such
a community, we flounder about, shaped as much by markets and mass media as
anything else. [...] This is where theological reflection fits in our lives and
in the pastoral circle.”
Appendix 1
Steps in the Pastoral Circle
The pastoral circle
is a process of answering four very basic questions about some experience that
we have, either as individuals or in a community setting. These questions help
us to respond more effectively to the experience through deeper understanding
and wider evaluation.
In facing the
experience, we ask these questions and pursue these approaches in
a quest for answers.
1.
What is
happening here? Gather the data, stories, descriptions of what is going on in
this situation. What are people undergoing, what are they feeling, what stories
are they telling, how are they responding?
2.
Why is it
happening? Probe the causes, connections, and consequences of what is taking
place. Who are the key actors and what roles do they play, what has been the history
of this experience, what are influences both obvious and hidden?
3.
How do we
evaluate it? Understand the meaning of the situation in the light of our values,
our belief systems, our community norms, and so on. What does a faith
perspective bring to bear on the experience, what new questions and insights
are suggested in the light of traditional resources of scripture or teachings?
4.
How do we
respond? Move through steps of planning, acting, and evaluating in order to
effect the desired change in the situation. What strategies are called for,
what short-term steps and what long-term steps are needed to bring change?
These four questions
occur during four “moments” of what we call the pastoral
circle. These moments
mediate, or relate us to, the experience of the situation.
1.
Contact: The
moment of insertion, of touching the reality through objective observations and
subjective feelings.
2.
Analysis:
The moment of asking questions of time, structures, and values, and their
interconnections, in order to understand the deeper reality of the situation.
3.
Reflection:
The moment of discerning the meaning of the situation in view of our shared
values, our faith commitments, the teaching of our scriptures, the norms of our
communities, the wisdom of our ancestors (such as that found in proverbs).
4.
Response:
The moment of planning concrete actions, taking the necessary steps, and
evaluating the results in order to plan anew.
These four moments
are described as a circle because the experience that is contacted, analyzed, and
reflected upon undergoes changes in the response taken, and therefore we must
go around the circle yet again—and again.
But it is important
to note that each of the moments in the pastoral circle must itself be
subjected to critical examination. For example:
1.
Contact: Where
and with whom are we locating ourselves as we begin this process? Whose
experience is being considered? Are there groups that are “left out” or whose
experiences are less valued when experience is discussed? Does the experience
of the poor and oppressed have a privileged role to play in the process? How
much do gender concerns enter into our openness to contact with reality?
2.
Analysis:
What analytical tradition is being followed in this process and why? Are there
presuppositions in these analyses that need to be tested? Is it possible to use
a particular analysis without agreeing with its accompanying ideology (such as
Marxism or neo-liberalism)? Do we enter into analysis with the presupposition
that it is objective and value free or can we make explicit any biases that we
bring?
3.
Reflection:
Are there methodological assumptions that underlie the reflection framework
that we use? In what relationship does the analysis stand to the reflection? Is
it complementary, subordinate, central, peripheral? How closely linked is the
reflection to the actual existing social situation? Is the reflection
“religious” or “theological”?
4.
Response:
What participates in the planning? What are the implications of the process
used to determine appropriate responses? In the response, what is the
relationship between the groups that serve and those that are served? Are we
serious about the monitoring and evaluation that should accompany the implementation?
Appendix 2.
Societal Structures
All social situations
are affected by the organization, operation, and orientation of structures
(institutions, organizations, policies, patterns, and so on) that determine the
direction of events. For descriptive and analytical purposes, we can list the following
seven societal structures:
1.
Economic structures
that determine the organization of resources (e.g., corporations, banks, tax
measures, trade patterns, unions);
2.
Political
structures that determine the organization of power (e.g., parliaments, police,
parties, local councils, constitutional guarantees of human rights);
3.
Social structures
that determine the organization of relationships (e.g., families, racial
patterns, tribes, villages, recreation clubs, schools);
4.
Gender structures
that determine the organization of male-female patterns (e.g., work status and
division of labor, decision-making participation, sexual expectations and
limitations);
5.
Ecological
structures that determine the organization of natural environments (e.g.,
sustainable agriculture, weather patterns, population distributions, demographic
patterns)
6.
Cultural structures
that determine the organization of meaning (e.g., traditions, language, art,
drama, song, initiation rites, communications media); and
7.
Religious
structures that determine the organization of transcendence (e.g., churches,
books of revelation, sacraments and rituals, moral commandments).
Obviously, these
structures are not sharply discrete or isolated. In any given situation the
structures are interrelated and connected. It is one of the tasks of social
analysis to identify which structures are the most influential.