| A Pastoral Letter on Domestic Violence
The human person, made in
the image and likeness of God, is endowed with an inherent dignity that
demands respect. Violence, in all its forms, gravely offends that dignity
and is, at the same time, an offense against God. This is particularly
true of the violence that takes place within the home. Abuse, whether physical,
verbal, mental or sexual, that takes place among family members is known
as "domestic violence," a tragic reflection of the violent society of our
day. The Church raises her voice in denouncing the sin of domestic violence
that erodes the dignity of the human person.
In this letter we address
the Catholics of the Diocese of Las Cruces as well as the people of good
will in the southern part of the State of New Mexico. We seek to raise
consciousness regarding the tragic reality of domestic violence and to
suggest ways to attain greater peace and harmony in our families.
Part I
A Profile of Domestic
Violence
For 2000 years the Church
has proclaimed the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is the joyful message that
in Christ we have been reconciled to the Father and sealed with the Holy
Spirit for eternal life. At its very core, the Good News proclaims the
fullness of life in God. We preach the Gospel of life. It is from this
perspective that we speak.
A. Domestic Violence in
General
We cannot ignore the violence
that is destroying our families and scarring our common humanity. This
condition stands in stark contradiction to the Gospel of life. It crosses
all socio-economic, religious, and ethnic boundaries. It is manifested
in various forms: degrading comments, manipulation of financial resources
to intimidate, the use of physical strength to bully and, ultimately, to
injure or kill. These are only a few in a long list of its manifestations.
The form may vary but the result is the same. Domestic violence exchanges
the natural bonds of love and nurturing for the unnatural relationships
of aggressors trampling mercilessly on the dignity, rights, and aspirations
of those they have promised to love and cherish.
The nature of domestic violence
has been a tragic element in the evolution of the world's civilizations
and continues to be a plague of epidemic proportions. Many people in our
society have experienced and continue to experience the terror of living
in danger of being attacked by another family member. For generations,
violence in the home was common and went virtually unchallenged. It took
courageous women and men to bring the ugly reality of domestic violence
into the public forum.
The plague of violence in
the home is a learned behavior and is passed on from one generation to
the next. This learned behavior is often triggered by alcohol or drugs.
Sadly, we know very little about the treatment and prevention of domestic
violence. We tend to oversimplify the problem by reducing violence in the
home to economic and/or social pressures that create stress within the
family unit. Such is not the case. Indeed, domestic violence transcends
economic and social class. Perpetrators and victims come from every walk
of life, from the very poor to the very rich, and from the social outcasts
to the most respected citizens of our communities. But there is still very
much that we do not know about domestic violence.
We are told by experts that
domestic violence is the most underestimated and under reported crime in
the United States, and that it is the single most significant cause of
injury to women, affecting about two million per year.(1) Some sources
estimate that as many as four million women suffer some kind of battering
every year.(2) If we take that number of women affected by violence, and
if we further project that the average family size is 2.2 persons per household,
the conclusion is that at least 8.8 million Americans are affected annually
by this virulent evil.
B. Domestic Violence in
New Mexico
In 1999 there were 16,596
victims of domestic violence identified by law enforcement agencies across
the state of New Mexico. There were 13,184 new clients served by the 33
domestic violence service providers throughout the state. Fifty-seven percent
(7,529) of the new clients were adult victims, 25 percent (3,313) were
children, and 18 percent (2,342) were offenders.
A profile of reported domestic
violence cases within the geographic boundaries of the Diocese of Las Cruces
that encompasses the ten counties in southern New Mexico indicates that
there were a total of 3,280 complaints registered during 1999.
The Las Cruces Victim Assistance
Program data for the past three years indicate a 40 percent increase in
cases reported to the Las Cruces Police Department.
La Casa, Inc., a shelter
for victims of domestic violence in Doña Ana County, shows an increase
in adult and child care days from 4,636 in 1994-95 to 16,638 in 1998-99,
representing an increase of 278 percent. While this increase may be due,
in part, to various factors such as population growth, increased reporting,
and an increased awareness among the general public, we must recognize
the possibility that domestic violence is growing.
Compounding the situation
is the fact that children residing in homes where domestic violence occurs
are themselves 50-55% of the time victims of physical or sexual abuse.
(3) The "nights of terror" and other horrors experienced by children contribute
to life-long difficulties with self-esteem.(4)
Victims are not just numbers;
they are thinking, feeling and often frightened individuals. Domestic violence
has been, and continues to be, tolerated and minimized. This issue will
be solved only when violence is uprooted from our culture a culture that
too often justifies and even glorifies violence.
Part II
God's Creation and Plan
of Salvation
The accounts of creation
found in Scripture make it clear that God created man and woman with equal
dignity. Both reflect the divine glory and together they complement one
another. Both derive their inherent dignity, personal goodness, and original
beauty from the Creator who delights in the creation of man and woman and
affirms their existence by exclaiming "how good" it is (cf. Gen. 1:31).
God blessed man and woman
with the capacity to be co-creators and to be the foundational members
of the family. In this blessing we find the theological and spiritual foundation
of the family. They were to cultivate the earth together in mutual help,
continuing the creative action of God.
A. The Fall and the Redemption
of the Human Person
The dream that God had for
man and woman was one of abundance of life. Original sin, however, gave
way to fragmentation and broken relationships. Utter confidence in God
and trust in one another was replaced by insecurity and fear. Sin transformed
the original paradise that God created for man and woman into arid desolation
and banishment where the most basic needs for the sustenance of life and
bringing forth new life would now be achieved only through great effort
(cf. Gen. 3: 16 - 19).
The consequence of this original
fall is most dramatically portrayed in the story of Cain and Abel. Anger,
resentment, and insecurity grew within the heart of Cain. After inviting
Abel out for a walk, "...Cain turned on his brother Abel and killed him"
(Gen. 4:8). With this example, Scripture teaches that violence and death
are born within the human heart that is broken and wounded by insecurity,
jealousy and fear.
We cannot understand domestic
violence or any other types of violence merely as a sociological phenomenon,
nor can we seek solutions through social efforts alone. Violence, at its
very core, is a spiritual malaise and can only be fully eradicated through
personal conversion leading to ongoing transformation.
In Jesus Christ, the eternal
Word of God made flesh, we have been adopted as sons and daughters of God.
Through the great mystery of the Incarnation, the Son of God became intimately
united with every human being. By sharing our broken and fragile human
nature, Jesus Christ joined himself with each person and shares with us
every human experience except sin, ultimately freeing us from the bondage
of sin, death, and all the other consequences of sin. "It is in Christ
and through his blood that we have been redeemed and our sins forgiven,
so immeasurably generous is God's favor to us" (Eph. 1:7).
The redemption of Christ
touches every aspect of human experience and brings about a transformation
of the human heart. Our human hearts are no longer ruled by the wound of
sin and hatred. We are not to seek domination of others. Human violence,
rooted in insecurity and fear, can now be healed by the love of God that
has been poured into our hearts (cf. Rom. 5:4).
In Jesus Christ, our restored
relationships are based on respect and trust and, above all, on love
a sacrificial love that seeks the good of the other. This is the foundation
of all our relationships, and in particular, of the relationship in Christian
marriage and family life.
B. The Dignity and Mission
of Marriage and Family Life
The Church teaches that God
envisions marriage as an intimate community of the whole of life based
on love.(5) With the irrevocable personal consent they exchange, married
persons make a gift of self to one another. Thus, marriage reflects God's
unconditional and ever faithful love. Just as marriage is a sacred bond,
so too family life is sacred, because in the family persons experience
intimately the love of God. Accordingly, Pope John Paul II reminds us that
". . . the family has a mission to become more and more what it is, that
is to say, a community of life and love in an effort that will find fulfillment,
as will everything created and redeemed, in the [reign] of God."(6) Violence
occurring within the family severely limits the possibilities for a family
to fulfill its mission to further God's reign of love and peace.
We must confront domestic
violence, for it is a shameful exercise of power against those whose lives
are entwined by ties of blood and family. We join with the bishops of the
United States and other groups to say that "violence in any form physical,
sexual, psychological, or verbal is sinful; many times, it is a crime
as well."(7) Clearly, domestic violence is never justified, for it sacrilegiously
fouls the sacred covenanted relationships of marriage.
Part III
The Church Seeks Forgiveness
The Second Vatican Council
of the Catholic Church teaches that "The Church on earth is endowed already
with a sanctity that is real though imperfect."(8) However, the Church,
too, is comprised of fallible and sinful human beings who, through sinfulness
and errors, mar and distort that innate holiness. Our pastoral experience
tells us that not only in the past, but even today, spouses most often
women are exhorted over and over to forgive and forget spousal abuse.
At times clergy tell those abused to resume marital life and thus be further
victimized. In so doing clergy fail to acknowledge and validate the experience
of victims. Well-meaning as they may be, these pastoral ministers do not
recognize the insidious nature of domestic violence as emanating from a
culture and an environment of domination and subordination. To encourage
a victim to return to such an environment without the benefit of qualified
professional help is irresponsible. When such errors are made or sinful
actions are excused in God's name, the consequences are even more tragic.
We recognize that all too
often Scripture is used incorrectly to justify husbands dominating their
wives. Such is the case with the passage found in St. Paul's letter to
the Ephesians, "wives be submissive to your husbands" (Eph. 5: 22). This
passage, which was shaped by its times and culture, reflects the highly
hierarchical household which was part of the Greco-Roman empire in which
St. Paul was writing. In that society, just as slaves had to submit to
their masters, so, too, wives had to submit to their husbands. Fortunately,
ours is a very different cultural setting wherein all persons are considered
equal. The context of St. Paul's message, however, exhorts husbands and,
indeed, all spouses to love one another as Christ loves the Church (Eph.
5:25). In Christian marriage, spouses give their lives for one another
as Christ gave his life for the Church. Husbands and wives love each other
in a way in which they consider and treat each other as equals. This is
the gospel mandate.
We understand that not only
the Church but also society has responded inadequately to the social problem
of domestic violence. We believe that the inadequacy of response by both
Church and society results, at least in part, from an apparent close association
between violence and patriarchy.(9) We believe that any time one group
is placed in a position of power to the exclusion of the other, the subordinated
group is at risk. We concur with other Catholic bishops who suggest that
the concentration of power and privilege in the hands of men "leads to
the control and subordination of women, generating social inequality between
the sexes."(10) Furthermore, we are aware that Church ministers have failed,
at times, to recognize domestic violence for what it is because of the
way in which they, themselves, exercise power.
For this, we seek forgiveness.
Violence inflicted in the
family on spouses, parents, children or siblings is intolerable and unconscionable.
We ask the forgiveness of all persons affected by the inadequate response
of the Church's pastoral leaders to violence which has occurred in homes
and in the family places meant to be of sanctuary for all persons.
Conclusion: A Message
of Hope and Commitment
As the People of God in southern
New Mexico, we hear the cry of the blood of Abel, the wail of Rachel, the
anguished and stifled cries of the Holy Innocents as they mingle with the
modern victims of violence. This violence must stop! We call on every member
of society to be open to the power of graced living. We invite all to be
aware of the scope of domestic violence and to be committed to find ways
to end this nightmare. We dedicate our efforts to heal the victims and
perpetrators of violence. We seek the combined wisdom of our brothers and
sisters of other Christian denominations, those of other faiths, and all
citizens of good will to help us find and establish strategies that promote
authentic peace, justice, and harmony in our homes and families. Together,
let us begin this new millennium with determination to bring about loving
and respectful relationships within the family.
The development of this pastoral
letter and the hearings that were held throughout our diocese have begun
the dialogue. Now we must put that dialogue into action. Specifically we
will:
-
Create a safe and supportive
environment within our Church family for victims and perpetrators of domestic
violence to seek help.
-
Renew our understanding of the
biblical imperative of respect for human dignity and the natural obligations
that spring from all relationships, especially marriage and family life.
-
Establish pastoral guidelines
to respond effectively to victims and perpetrators and to include pertinent
references to the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) and its special emphasis
upon the rights of undocumented victims of domestic violence.
-
Educate our pastoral leaders
to respond with the spiritual, practical and compassionate support that
will best assist victims and perpetrators of domestic violence.
-
Embrace the teachable moments
of sacrament preparation to raise awareness of domestic violence and its
devastating impact upon all relationships, especially the sacred bond of
marriage.
-
Address the scope of domestic
violence as it is significantly and tragically manifested here in New Mexico;
including our own complicity as individuals, as a community, and as a religious
organization.
-
Establish networks with legal,
medical and civic communities uniting our energies to support continuing
changes in public opinion and policy.
-
Recognize and challenge the
culture of violence and degradation of all people as promoted through the
irresponsible use of the internet, television, film, entertainment industry
and our own behavior.
Alone we cannot even begin to
propose solutions to the problem of domestic violence. With this pastoral
letter, we begin a process together with persons of other faith communities,
professionals with special expertise, and all citizens to create greater
collaboration and develop strategies to eliminate this pervasive evil.
Promulgated the sixth day
of July of 2001 on the Feast of Saint Maria Goretti,
Ricardo Ramírez, C.S.B.
Bishop of Las Cruces
(1) Satya P. Krishnan, et.
al, "Documenting Domestic Violence among Ethnically Diverse Populations:
Results from a Preliminary Study," in Family and Community Health,
(1997) 20(3), p. 2.
(2) Brian Ogawa, "Forward,"
in Family Violence and Religion: An Interfaith Resource Guide, Volcano,
CA: Volcano Press, 1998, p. xi.
(3) Joseph Koelling, Domestic
Violence in the Rural Setting: Implications for Youth Development and Special
Issues of Concern, course paper, 1998, p. 5.
(4) Ruby Lemon, Roswell Hearing
on Domestic Violence, January 30, 2001.
(5) Second Vatican Council,
Gaudium
et spes, December 7, 1965, no. 48.
(6) John Paul II, Familiaris
consortio, "Apostolic Exhortation on the Family," December 15, 1981,
no. 15.
(7) National Conference of
Catholic Bishops, When I Call for Help: A Pastoral Response to Domestic
Violence Against Women, 1992, p. 1.
(8) Second Vatican Council,
Lumen
gentium, "Dogmatic Constitution on the Church," November 21, 1964,
no. 48 §3.
(9) Social Affairs Committee
of the Assembly of Quebec Bishops, A Heritage of Violence: A Pastoral
Reflection on Conjugal Violence, 1989, p. 34.
(10) Ibid.
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