It is now exactly a month since the conference of European Women Theologians took place in Rome, 30th March – 1st April, on the theme “Women Theologians: in what kind of Europe?”.
One month: a long time, maybe. Due to many reasons: going back to daily activities, the political elections, Easter … Due though, foremost, to a clear choice: I didn’t want to hurry in taking back
the word. Of course, it would have been appropriate to tank all for many different reasons. We have experienced three extraordinary days. The quality of inputs offered by twenty-one speakers, the richness of perspectives expressed
in an intense, but at the same time, relaxed debate that accompanied every working session, the intensity of participation and the interest for every minute of the conference made of these three days a true moment of grace.
It is not usual, at least in the Italian context, that one hundred and sixty women theologians coming from twenty European countries could reflect and discuss on the possibility of a fruitful meeting of public life and theological
though.
Surely, women represent today an exceptional carrier of transformation for civil societies as well as for religious communities. Even if the overcoming of the most ancestral and maybe most odious of discriminations,
the one based on sex, is still only at the beginning, some signs of change are loud and clear. Among those, there is the progressive acquisition of authoritative word by women on themselves, on the world, on history and on
God. Not by all women, maybe, but surely by many.
Even before being heard, women consider of the extreme importance to listen to each other: for this reason, in the end, we were able to circulate instances, projects, ideas, perplexities, perspectives
on the role and influence that theological reflection can have on the individual and collective life of contemporary Europe.
Rooted in the history and in the civil, academic and religious institutions of our different countries, we have in the first place shared the interest and passion for theological research. Coming from
different professional and religious words, different but not alien to each other, we have then tried to understand the social, religious and ecclesial reality of a Europe so old but, at the same time, so young. It is almost
impossible, anyway, to summarise in few sentences such a rich and articulated debate!
The awareness that processes of social, political and religious differentiation that have given life, often with much pain, to a “plural Europe” are an extraordinary but also very demanding inheritance
was the starting point for a clear and brave reflection on an alternative, that one between post-secular and post-Christian, that runs the risk to entrap Europe in her past and distract her from her task to look with farsightedness
to her future.
On the other hand, the need to understand each other within a world which has become polycentric has provided the opportunity to examine processes that brought Europe to generate the West, but that don’t
allow her to dissolve in it, as well as the boost to project oneself in a new way beyond own historical-cultural and historical- religious borders.
We have then touched with hand how, concerning all this, the theological research of women, their professional engagement in society and their pastoral engagement in churches have authoritative because
meaningful words to say and can contribute to identify common objectives and to promote choices for transformation so much necessary as possible.
It is about moving forward. With clear mindedness and steadfastness along the ways already opened. Also with creativity and fantasy: still many more can be the ways to be opened, still many can be the
tasks to take, the possibilities to verify, the decisions to make.
