Ecclesia of Women in Asia: Gathering the Voices of the Silenced (review)

This is a collection of essays originally presented at the inaugural conference of Ecclesia of Women in Asia: Gathering the Voices of the Silenced, held in Bangkok, Thailand, in 2002. It is important for readers to understand the background of the conference as inspiration for the book.

The Ecclesia of Women in Asia (EWA) conference was a groundbreaking event in Asian theology for it was the first one organized by and for Asian Catholic women theologians and activists. The conference had a three-fold purpose: (1) to voice Asian Catholic women's perspectives; (2) to systematically reflect on the theology of the Asian Catholic Church from women's perspectives; and (3) to suggest a new model for the church in Asia.

There are several important matters that inspired Asian Catholic women theologians to organize the conference. The first was a conference of Asian Catholic theologians held in India in 2001 to reflect on the 1999 Post-Synodal document, Ecclesia in Asia. The Post-Synodal document volunteered that Asian Bishops are concerned about Asian women's status, rights, and dignity in the church. However, when Asian Catholic theologians gathered for theological reflection and discussion of the document, male theologians primarily did the talking. So after the conference, women participants organized a gathering of Asian Catholic women theologians, called EWA, which subsequently became the title of this book.

The book addresses six different concerns: violence against women (namely, domestic violence, prostitution, and state violence against women); women and the interpretation of the Bible; women and the structure of the church; women and spirituality; eco-feminism; and women and inter-religious dialog. In these six areas, the book presents twenty-eight essays by thirty-three authors from seventeen different Asian countries. In short, the book presents important topics as addressed by Asian Catholic women theologians, constituting a significant contribution to Asian and Asian-feminist theological discourse. As Monteiro, one of the editors, rightly observes, Asian theologies often are associated with male theologians, and Asian feminist theology looks to be largely dominated by Protestants. Thus, the irony about this perspective and the doings of Ecclesia in Asia: the majority of Asian Catholic Church members are women, although Asian Catholic women theologians heretofore have arguably not been seriously considered. As the subtitle of the book suggests, Asian women have been silenced "by the patriarchal imperial church planted in Asia" (xiv). Therefore, the publication of this book by and about Asian Catholic women is an historical event in Asian theological discourse.

Another important contribution of the book is to hear voices of non-East Asian women theologians. Protestant feminist theologians of East Asian heritage predominantly are leaders in Asian feminist theological discourse, so in their company it is rare to come across the feminist writings of South and Southeast Asian theologians. This book presents readers with a series of critical examinations by Catholic theologians and activists from Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, India, and other Asian countries. These perspectives complement the work of East Asian writers and make the book's merits far-reaching. This book radically expands and enriches Asian and Asian feminist theological discourse.

The book explores two approaches to women's issues: one is a feminist modification of the current teachings of the church. The other is a completely new vision for the church, a women's church. The first I call a moderate approach. The latter is an aggressive one. The authors who take a moderate approach focus heavily on careful descriptions and critical analyses of women's situations in church and society and challenge the church to become more inclusive. In other words, and as many of the early feminist theologians did, these writers challenge the teachings of the Asian Catholic Church; namely, to address women's experiences and to use women's perspectives to interpret scripture, tradition, and ecclesiology. The chapters by Patricia Mary, Christine Santhou, and Katherine Li-Hsia Ho and Yih-Lan...