Women need secularism
Here are more than a dozen articles relating to women collected from all over Concordat Watch. Almost a century ago Pope Pius XI stated that the two essentials for the Church are “obedience” and “fecundity”. (Now, of course, they are called “true freedom” and “giving life”.) Where these form the power base, women must pay the price.
Life at all costs
The Church doctrine of the “culture of life” was anounced in 1995. It was a change of course for an institution which, apart from a taboo against shedding blood itself, has accepted the death of the body as collateral damage to the life of the soul. However, today we hear no mention of the pope's hangman, his army or his Inquisition. To foster reproduction, the Vatican has a new “culture of life” ― and women must bear the brunt.
Political deal lets Vatican in on new Dominican Republic constitution
A back-room deal between two politicians is set to make the Dominican Republic the first country to enshrine three current Vatican policies in its new Constitution. One amendment is expected to increase dangerous back-alley abortions and unwanted births in a poor country where more than a third can’t afford enough to eat. But for the Catholic Church it marks a milestone in its programme to promote reproduction at all costs.
Prominent Muslim feminist campaigns for secularism
Fadela Amara, one of the highest-ranking Muslim women in France, is trying to get the young men in the poor, angry suburbs working towards job qualifications, not martyrdom. The key to this, she believes, secularism. And secularism, in turn, she feels, is the key to equality for these communities' oppressed women.
The Rights of Man reach an Ivorian village
How can people be helped to see their traditions not simply as the way things are, as a problem if these traditions trample on human rights? An appeal to something more important than cultural or religious tradition is a revolutionary idea. This account by human rights workers captures the excitement on first hearing about human rights — the same thrill felt in Europe two centuries ago, as among the women of the Côte d'Ivoire today: “We have rights!”
Côte d'Ivoire
A concordat was made especially for “the basilica in the bush”. The church is modelled on the pope's cathedral, but was planned to top it. The concordat removes money from this desperately poor country for the upkeep of the huge and empty basilica.
“Multi-faithism” is bad news for women
“The increasing emphasis on religion and religious identities has led to the transformation of multiculturalism into multi-faithism’’ — and the ones who suffer the most are South Asian women. This is the conclusion of Pragna Patel’s important new study, Faith in the state? Asian women’s struggles for human rights in the U.K.
Religious law is on the march
There are many kinds of religious law, including Sharia, Halakha, Hindu Law and Canon Law. As concordats make clear, religious law need not be offically enforced in order to seep out into society.
"Mother's cross" and Maria cult
Hitler said that women's bodies belonged to the German people, while the Church averred that they were the property of the Holy Ghost. But this difference was theoretical: in practice, both meant that her body didn't belong to her and could be used to produce the maximum number of soldiers and/or Catholics.
An inside look at faith-based social services in Germany
These accounts of ordinary Germans show what it means to live in the shadow of social services paid for they the state but run by the Church. Many must accept interferance in their private lives without complaint, or risk being unemployed.
Separation of church and state and women’s rights
131 human rights and religious groups have urged the Slovak Prime Minister not to sign the “conscience concordat”. They say it would set a dangerous precedent, contravene the Slovakia's separation of church and state, violate international treaties on women’s rights — and that it is not needed to guarantee freedom of conscience.
The Church reshapes Polish society
Religious censorship, Church involvement in politics and policies which restrict women are among the changes reported in three articles by Poles who feel that the Communist dictatorship has merely been replaced by another authoritarian system.
Papal photo-op leaves Slovak mother feeling used
In 2003 Pope John Paul II visited Eastern Europe for the last time. His aim was to discourage any liberalisation of Slovakia’s abortion laws, for that would have made it harder to push through the upcoming concordat on “freedom of conscience”. This papal visit, his third to Slovakian territory, was planned as an anti-abortion campaign.
The hallelujia weekend of Ireland
This was the papal visit of 1979 which boosted Irish fertility. John Paul II's exhortations to the women of Ireland to be fruitful like the Virgin Mother, managed for a time to recall them to their reproductive duty for the Church — until a tragedy made them reconsider what they had been taught.
Concordats control women
Concordats can be a powerful tool for social control. These Vatican "treaties" can prohibit divorce, get a woman fired for remarrying or even deny her access to sex education and family planning. Concordats help keep women married and bearing children for the Church.
