On Social Justice: On the Sacredness of the Human Person

This article has been in the thoughts of being written for the last few weeks, given all we have seen during COVID as well as all the ways in which we have noticed women have been treated throughout this time, and even before. We also recall the words of Pope Francis in his new Encyclical: Fratelli Tutti.

In a section of Fratelli Tutti, it discusses looking at the dignity of each person and bringing in the new way of existence. This existence hinges on the sacredness of the human person. I will not go into much detail in this first writing on Fratelli Tutti because there is one point I would like to focus on. I am also bringing this up because in the course of election rhetoric, people love to pit other people against each other, when in reality, each person has something important to say and something significant they do in light of the current situation, as well as in light of what they have gone through in their own lives.

In Fratelli Tutti Pope Francis discusses an inadequate understanding of human love - a love that is capable of transcending boarders, a love that promotes people, living, and thriving, while also promoting the moral good. He goes into the rights of people and how everyone has fundamental rights because each person as human dignity that has been bestowed on them by God. Within certain pockets of the writing, he discusses the use of technology, as well as a better form of politics and what true charity looks like, as well as what love looks like.

An abuse of power is really only present in areas where love is not present, or where love is jaded or masked by sin, (one of which is indifference which Pope Francis mentions), but also in many ways, especially when it comes to women, is frequently, misunderstood, especially in moments in relation to the Catholic Church.

There are many moments throughout history where we have seen the abuse of women justified or blown off by political officials as well as within the church. Where women have been seen as less than just because of the mere fact that they are women. This, in some ways has also occurred during the pandemic. I began to address an issue last night that I kept seeing pop up over and over again throughout the pandemic: abuse of women, sexual violence towards women, abortions, abortions and excommunications, as well as the use of fetal cells for vaccines. With that being said, I have also seen that the systems in the world have an institutionalized and systematic way of disgracing and demoralizing women, just because of the sheer fact that she is a woman. I am here to say, every single person on this planet has human dignity, value, and worth - and within that is sacredness. This includes Women. That means that there is a sacredness to women and their bodies and to their existence. Just as there is with men.

Now, I know you may be wondering where is this going - -there are a couple things I am going to point out that may change your current perspective on things.

First, if someone tells you all people who have an abortion are excommunicated from the Catholic Church, they are wrong. There is a whole ministry in the Catholic Church devoted to healing, counseling, reconciliation and post-abortive healing. It is called Project Rachel: https://www.usccb.org/topics/project-rachel-ministry - on the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Site, and https://hopeafterabortion.com/ - on the Project Rachel Website. I am making sure to make this clear because people need to know this ministry exists as well as the fact that there are many different reasons why women or even young girls have experienced abortion. Some of them are because of rape, incest, war crimes, hate crimes, violence, child marriage, molestation, forced abortions, assault. In some of these cases and in other cases, women may be in grave danger of her life if she has a baby. And actually, in these cases, as well as other medical practices that have to do with reproductive rights Catholic Doctrine States before the medical act is performed: “the medical act must be evaluated not only with reference to its technical dimension but also and above all in relation to its goal which is the good of persons and their bodily and psychological health (see here for more information: https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_19870222_respect-for-human-life_en.html)

And actually, in some of these cases, example if a woman is forced to have an abortion - excommunicating her could cause further psychological and spiritual damage if the church treated her that way. Additionally the church is for ending cycles of abuse, and working on helping others end cycles of abuse by other people. Instead of focusing on abortion itself - people need to be focusing on ways to end cycles of violence and cycles of abuse, that women and females are going through, because a large number of abortions would not be happening if the violence/abuse were not occurring. Most Catholics trained in sexual ethics knows this and also in being pro-life, they know there are special cases, and that there is greater need for pastoral care , especially for women. In societies and cultures where abuse of women is still condoned and present as well as institutionalized and heavily within the systems (as we have also seen in the cases of forced sterilizations), most people are blind to see - from in the church to outside of it. Here is what I mean …

Women are disrespected everyday, systematically - a lack of care and respect for women and the female body is still happening every day in every culture. Including the United States. The question is, when will it change? Let me be even more clear here - This institutionalized disrespect for women needs to be eliminated. Let me give you some common examples of the disrespect etc that I am speaking of here - hacking women’s phones, watching them change, treating them as sex objects, not valuing their work or even stealing their ideas as your own and posing them as your own, lack of integrity in the workplace, undermining women who are in positions of leadership and purposely trying to find ways to have them removed because of the sheer fact that they are women, or because a man feels threatened by women who are smart, purposely lieing about women or trying to destroy their reputation because you are jealous of what they have, have worked hard for, or are jealous of the ways God has blessed them or are angry at the grace they have or the different graces (see types of grace) God has bestowed on her (which usually includes some form of major suffering), forcing women into arranged marriages, child brides, violence against women, institutionally lower pay for women then men, the conniving of men to only use women as objects, or to have women under the influence of something to get them to sleep with a guy, forcing women to be away from their children and trying to purposely destroy the natural bond of motherhood….. the list is endless… and all of this is disrespectful towards women… yet seen in some cases as normal… - -part of this is seen as normal because of the “reality tv” era itself…it is seen as normal and okay when it is degrading, demoralizing, and subjectification in many different ways, as well as ways of control and manipulation…what makes it worse is that other women are this way with women as well… which also should not be the case. It needs to stop and it needs to end.

Better safeguards and protection need to be put in place that honor women’s dignity and cherishes it. This all goes back to how society has lost touch with the sacredness of the female body. In most cases the female body is seen as a commodity or treated as one, or an object to be used… and people are not even realizing they are treating women like this….although they are. The female body itself is sacred - all that it encompasses from her mind, heart, soul, to her physical body, etc. The sacredness of the woman. People fail to see the sacredness of the woman because in certain ways their has been a degradation of the human person throughout at least the last few years. This also occurs because of the advanced technology that exists now - and the easy ability to throw oneself into technology and all that that includes. What I mean is there are even more subtle ways women are objectified now because of technology - vs. in the past. But, the reality is the objectification is still there….yet many people see it as something normal.. when in reality, it is not. This needs to change. A new way of treating women with dignity, value, and respect must come to the foreground or things will only continue to get worse, and society and culture will continue to decay instead of thrive.

Now, I will say - given COVID - couples have had to learn news ways of being present to each-other but with that one also needs to continue fostering the human dignity, value, and worth of women - and not allowing technology to fully take over the time they are to spend with their significant other in person. This is also one of the reasons I have written on this topic because for those who are treating women with dignity, value, and respect, we want to encourage you to continue doing that, but also, to not allow the changes that have had to be made with COVID to change you - from doing that, and to cause you to slip into the slippery slope of objectification of women. I am also not saying you can’t ever have a drink and then make love to the person you are in love with. What I am saying is, know your intent, come from the heart centered space of honoring the other person and cherishing them, of treating them with value, dignity, and respect. Treat the person you love with love and stay centered in that love and remember you give of yourself - in the free gift of yourself to that person out of the love that is in you heart for them, not for your own gratification, or to objectify them, or to abuse them.

The other piece to this is if you are a woman who has suffered from objectification etc - in any of the ways above - to move towards forgiveness or to forgive. In the moments where I have experienced this, in the different areas of my life it has been experienced in, I have already forgiven. But with the forgiveness, also remember to continue to stand up for what is right and good - to stand up for the sacredness of women, to honor that sacredness and to cherish that sacredness. Because one thing that COVID has taught people is that life is a gift, a gift to be honored and cherished and valued. And that each person is to be treated as the gift they truly are and to be received as the gift they truly are, in their human dignity, in their intrinsic God-given value and worth. I am thankful to all the men in my life who have treated me with dignity, value, and worth - and who have honored the gift of the person that I am from recognizing the work I do, to valuing my input and ideas, as well as listening to new ways forward throughout this time, as we have tried to work through the many issues in relation the pandemic itself. I am also thankful for all the men and women I know who have supported me in my motherhood and in my feminine essence and being. Who have valued me and respected me. I am also thankful for the person I am in love with honoring me in my intrinsic God Given dignity, value, and worth and not objectifying me or treating me in a way that goes against the gift that I am. He is a wonderful man that I thank God for everyday ~ for the gift of him, the gift of his whole being, and the gift of his life, even in the moments we have been stuck away from each other and in the moments where we has sometimes misunderstood each other. Even in those moments, we have always upheld each other’s intrinsic God Given sacredness of human life. …. and yes…. I am pro-life….in more ways than one….from conception to natural death…and all the areas in between… for all people….I am also pro-marriage, if people are in love with each other, love each other and see the sacredness of each other - and the true gift they really are.

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Mary GrenchusOctober 11, 2020