Violence…for the Record

History's record is one of violence inflicted by humans on their own kind. The rape of women was an accepted part of the violence of war. As Gerda Lerner tells it in The Creation of Patriarchy, conquest meant killing the men and enslaving the women. Women were first slaves of the conquerer and theirs was a sexual slavery. Their loyalty was ensured as they bore children to the enemy.

With the arrival of its, fourth millennium, the human historical record designates rape as a war crime. A human accomplishment! Now the more subtle violence of silencing and exclusion perpetrated by apartheid societies. As practiced by institutionalized religions, four millennia old male dominance still edits women out of its record of divine inspiration, excludes them from holding office and imposes a suffocating silence upon them.

As professor of history, Dr. Joan Lenardon recounts:

"Over four hundred years ago, Saint Teresa of Avila, Doctor of the Church complained to Jesus Christ that:

you found as much faith in [women] than you did in men. (...) Is it not enough, Lord, that the world has intimidated us [women] ... so that we may not do anyth?ing worthwhile for You in public or dare speak some truths that we lament over in secret, without You also failing to hear so just a petition?

I do not believe, Lord, that this could be true of Your goodness and justice, for You are a just judge and not like those of the world.

Since the world's judges are sons of Adam and all of them men, there is no virtue in women that they do not hold suspect. (...)

I have rejoiced ... because I see that these are times in which it would be wrong to undervalue virtuous and strong souls, even though they are women.

The ecclesiastical censor cut out these words from Teresa's voice. We had to wait for a more authentic edition to restore them to her and to us.

Is there an analogy to be made between this assault upon an innocent and those assaults of the Taliban upon innocents, merely because they are women? Furthermore, is there an analogy to be made between the Taliban's terrifying eradication of women from public life and Rome's terrorizing criminalization of any public discussion of women in the quintessential public act of the Church: the Eucharistic celebration of the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ?

Is this present ecclesiastical regime trying to stitch its women into a burka vaticana?