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In the “Maria 1.0” movement, Catholic women are looking for their role beyond feminism. This bothers progressive believers.
“Maria 1.0 is expanding into Switzerland,” was the headline recently on the kath.ch portal. The occasion was a workshop in St. Gallen, which was attended by around 45 mostly young people.
Wait a minute – Maria 1.0? They’re called 2.0! This reform movement from Germany protested loudly against clericalism, abuse of power and injustices in the Roman Catholic Church. She drew attention to herself. She was and is present in the media.
«Maria does not need an update»
It was precisely these loud protests that some young, devout Catholic women found wrong. “How can we strike at Holy Mass, which is the highlight of our week and a source of strength for us?” asks Lisa Martin. She is 19 years old and studies biology in Basel.
And so Maria 1.0 was the answer to Maria 2.0. “Maria doesn’t need an update,” is the slogan of the movement. “That means: Maria is our role model in a special and perfect way,” says Lisa Martin. “She embodies all the virtues we strive for: patience, trust in God, faith and hope.” In addition, the church is not a human institution that can be changed like an association, but “founded by Christ himself”.
Peace thanks to Catholic doctrine
Lisa Martin first found a home in the Roman Catholic Church, then in Maria 1.0. The conservative movement speaks to her from the heart, she says: “When I asked myself what it means to be a young Catholic woman, I found Maria 1.0.”
The young student doesn’t want to againstbut for to be something. She sees “a wonderful treasure” in the traditional doctrine of her church. Since turning to this teaching, she has found an “unparalleled peace.”
What characterizes the role of women?
The role of the woman in Maria 1.0 is seen as particularly maternal, she should be loving and caring. This resonates with feminists – after all, they have fought precisely such images for decades, says Simone Curau-Aepli, President of the Swiss Catholic Women’s Federation (SKF).
“We are clearly opposed to a patriarchal image of people and women,” says the 60-year-old activist, who has been committed to a more just society and church for decades.
She is convinced that a “sustainable church” must give women the same rights as men. And thus open the priesthood to everyone.
“The abuse scandal cries to heaven”
Representatives of Maria 1.0, on the other hand, say: Yes, the same dignity, but with different tasks. A woman is not called to be a priestess since Jesus surrounded himself with twelve disciples.
Maria was not present at the last supper, although she was a woman of central importance to Jesus, says Lisa Martin. However, it is important for her to emphasize that not only women are called to “loving service”, but also men, including priests.
When asked about the abuse scandal that triggered Maria 2.0, she says: «The abuse in the church hurts me like nothing else! It cries to heaven, in this point we are at Maria 2.0». The difference, however, is that the young conservative movement does not see the reasons for the scandal in the structures.
How important will Maria 1.0 be in Switzerland?
Simone Curau-Aepli from SKF understands the need of young people to identify with a charismatic movement. However, she regrets that these “obstruct the necessary transformation of the Church”. She does not believe that the movement will play a major role in Switzerland.
Lisa Martin sees it differently. There are currently only five Swiss women actively involved, but they are only at the beginning in Switzerland. And each of them knows “a whole range of sympathizers”. She observes “a blossoming of the Catholic faith in the new generation.”