Liberation Theology: Its relevance to women in the Catholic church in Kenya, with particular reference to the Diocese of Kisumu

Abstract

The twenty-second ecumenical council was held in the Vatican in 1962-65. The aim of this council, commonly referred to as Vatican II was to find ways and means of making the Catholic Church more relevant in the twentieth century. Hence one of its main concerns was to revise the position of lay men and women so that they could begin to take a more active part in the life of the church. After more than twenty years, however, the reforms agreed upon by the Council do not seem to have taken root in the consciousness of the majority of the Catholic laity, especially women. This study has sought to analyze the role of lay women in the Catholic church in Kenya. It is an attempt to examine how the perceived role of women has affected their entire participation and contribution to the Catholic church and to the society as a whole. The study also traces the rise and growth of liberation theology and considers whether that process can be used in helping women in the Catholic church in Kenya to understand their situation better. The motivation for the study is the growing mood among men and women throughout the world to liberate themselves from all kinds of oppression. The location for field work was the Catholic diocese of Kisumu which comprises Siaya and Kisumu District (See map on 'page 33). Questionnaires and interviews are the main methods that were used for collecting data. The information given during the interviews was recorded in notebooks and analysed. It was necessary too, to conduct a thorough library research before going to the field. The main findings of the study are that women are in a subordinate position in the Catholic church in Kenya and that this subordination of women is enhanced and encouraged by the decision-making structure of the church itself and the patronizing and condescending attitude of the clergy Th~E the roles and relations between members of the hierarchy and women, coupled with the attitudes that the clergy have about women and the attitudes that women have about themselves seem to be the underlying factorSin the whole process of the liberation of women in the Catholic church in Kenya. The study comprises four sections. The first section (Chapter One and Two) deals with the nature and scope of the study. The second section (Chapter Three) discusses the particularity of women's oppression and how it is enhanced by religio-cultural forces while section three (Chapter Four and Five) analyzes the rise and development of liberation theology and its effects on Catholic women. Section four (Chapter Six) appraises the position of women in the Catholic church in Kenya and concludes with a few suggestions as to how women can be helped to participate more meaningfully in the life of the church and hence of the society.