Being a Woman and Believing – Challenges in the Latin American Context

In many Latin American countries, deeply rooted patriarchal structures characterize not only social coexistence, but also religious institutions – especially the Catholic Church. Women experience these structures in the form of machismo, exclusion from decision-making processes and an understanding of church roles that often reduces female spirituality to the private sphere.

Nevertheless, there are countless women who - in church and society – live their faith, question structures and open up spaces for renewal. This seminar invites you to explore the tension between personal paths of faith and institutional power relations. It is about the "nevertheless": holding on to faith and being committed to change – within the church, but also beyond.

The focus is on questions such as: How do Latin American women experience their role in church and society? What voices, movements and theological approaches exist in the church that call for a more gender-equitable church? What differences are there compared to the situation of women in the church in Germany? And what role do men play in this process – as co-creators of a fairer church?

In addition to impulses from theology, gender research and church practice, the seminar offers space for personal reflection: personal experiences, expectations and ambivalences should be made visible. The exchange with other scholars opens up new perspectives on joint commitment.

The aim is to appreciate individual paths of faith and at the same time to think about social and ecclesial change processes – based on the conviction that a living church can only grow through the cooperation of all its members.