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Italian version
 She
was born on May 25 in Florence, where she attained the doctorate in
Theology from the Theological Faculty of Central Italy, with a thesis on
the ecclesiology of W. Pannenberg. Serena Noceti teaches systematic
Theology in the Theological Faculty of Central Italy in the
inter-diocesan theological study of Camalore (Lucca) and the Superior
Institute of Religious Sciences. “I Galantini” in Florence. She works as
a responsible person of catechesis of the adult, in the catechetical
office of the Diocese of Florence. From 2003, she is a member of the
Presidency Council of the Italian Theological Association. She partakes
also in the Co-ordination of the Italian Women Theologians who organised
in Rome their first international congress titled, “Women Theologians:
in Which Europe?”, last April. One hundred and fifty women theologians
from twenty European countries, plus a Hebrew and Muslim delegation,
participated in the debate, which lasted three days. It offered an
original contribution in a very complex historical moment for the
European Union, particularly on the role, which the theological
reflection can play to promote a fruitful bond between religious freedom
and laity. We have addressed some questions on the work of the congress
to Serena Noceti who has contributed a lot to the realisation of this
international congress.
Would you tell us which are the most interesting hints and the most
original issues emerged from this international congress, according to
you?
The congress has represented a unicum in the Italian theological
panorama of the latest years. It has been an occasion for a dialogue
among women theologians from different European states of Anglo-Saxon
and Latin language. The possibility of converging towards a dimension of
confrontation in Italy is a real newness and, to me, the first element
of evaluation. The second aspect, to me, has been the theme chosen for
the congress, comparing it with other courses developed in our country
during the latest past years as far as the theological debate is
concerned. I speak, above all, of the idea of the thematic, “theology
and Europe”, which the Italian theological debate has faced, in
question-key on the post-secular and post-Christian laity. This has been
successively analysed looking at the two Western worlds, offering a very
interesting reflection at contents level, in the comprehension of the
relation between the Western North-American idea and that of Europe,
where often the West is in opposite position before the Islamic culture.
The most original contribution has been that of analysing the idea of
the Western USA and that of Europe. In other words, it has been
interesting the development of the idea of Western culture according to
these two different models, trying to catch them in the light of the
knot of the relation between the religious dynamic and the development
of the social dynamic. In fact, with what regards the European model,
one key knot has surely been that of the religion wars, above all the
comprehension derived from them, with the peace of Westfalia, about the
impossibility of guaranteeing the process of social peace on a religious
basis. This is the basis of the constitution of the principle of
tolerance, of laity idea, very much different from that of USA.
Therefore, we decline Christian Europe in key of the plurality of
confessional belonging and with a certain idea of laity, which, in some
aspects, is transversal to the catholic as well as to the Protestant
world.
The third meaningful element of this congress has been the confrontation
among women theologians concerning formation courses, which are possible
and have developed during these years. It has been concretely a
reflection on the recognised status of the contribution of the women
theologians to the tout court theology. It was evident how different the
times were for Germany, France, in part Great Britain, from the Italian
and Spanish world, where the turning of Vatican II meant the possibility
of acceding to the study of Theology and acquiring meaningful scientific
competences to have access to teaching. Even more stimulating has been
the confrontation with the women theologians of East Europe, who have
marked a situation in evolution, though difficult because it is signed
by many obstacles, which the Italian and Spanish women theologians have
partly overcome”.
What are the perspectives in European optic from the viewpoint of
feminine theological reflection?
Perhaps we cannot offer a unitary vision in answer to this question,
since there are substantial elements between the German and the
Anglo-Saxon world. The context is different because different is the
level, because of history, the possibility of insertion at full time in
the theological research. We can underline the fact that we are at the
third generation of women theologian. This means that the theological
reflection is shifting from the interest more directly centred on
questions concerning the belonging of gender, to the elaboration of data
from the anthropological viewpoint, to a reflection on the tout court
theology, to the acquisition of instruments of enlarged theological
reflection and, therefore, to the participation in theological research
as such. The contribution, which man can give, is that which orients
theology on the theme of the gender. This substantially brings to
theory the impossibility of defining the human being without the
determination of gender at the language level and on the level of the
existential structure, on the determination of models, which are
substantially related.
Both at the level of conceptual-linguistic categorisation as on the
specific level of a determination of intra-ecclesial relations, the
question of gender constitutes a further meaningful step forward. We say
this, above all, about the cases, which have just started approaching
these perspectives.
At the level of what has emerged from within the congress, how would you
define the female contribution in the inter-religious key?
“It depends on the staring religious experience. Generally it is the
contribution of those who have often wrongly been confined to the
margins. As such, there is the possibility of recognising the common
gender identity, of opening spaces of dialogue, starting from a
belonging to the limit. I think that the most interesting thing has come
from those contributions, which have characterised themselves for a
critical interpretation of the sources and of a hermeneutic of texts and
traditions. It is on this that the growing need of the process of
liberation and participation of women in the recognition of equality in
dignity and rights is played in a very particular way. It is urgent also
the contribution, which women can offer to the researches of the tout
court theology, which goes to the hermeneutic of the texts and defining
the starting view point of the subject who makes the question. To me,
it has been meaningful the contribution of interaction between theology
and the tout court cultural elaboration. I think of women in the
catholic church in which, if we think of the past 40 years, it is
evident to catch how fundamental has been the process of elaboration of
self-awareness as women collective subjects, as well as the process of
acquisition of roles at social, political level for what then ecclesial
life is. I must say that, in spite of being bearers of the message of a
strong liberation of the woman for the participation in the life of the
Church, in reality, the Catholic Church in particular and the Christian
churches in general, for two thousand years have marginalised women,
imposing a scarce participation in the responsibility of building the
Church. I would say that it is not due to these factors within the
ecclesial reality to allow a change in theology. The social, cultural
and political processes of the past 40 years have caused the deep
change. Women contribute the clear awareness that the development of
theology is not brought about only by endogens factors or by the
development of exclusive reflections on traditions, but it happens
through external factors of social problematic, as the council text
Gaudium and Spes underlines.
The recently concluded congress has been the first one of European
breathing promoted by the CTI. It has involved 150 women theologians
from different Christian tradition. To organise an initiative of this
kind has surely been a complex work. Which obstacles has this congress
found along its journey?
“It has been complex because to put together 150 theologies from twenty
represented different countries has not been easy at organisation level.
At logistic level, apart from the association gathering the women
committed in the theological researches in Europe representative of six
hundred experts, we could not rely on a list of addresses at European
level. This would have offered the names of the women theologians or of
those who have attained competences on the theme. The lack of lists has
been a problem of publicity. We are now trying to make a list on the
Italian reality, which is incomplete because of unavoidable
circumstances.
To me, the major obstacle has been that of letting people recognise and
know the type of initiative we were going to propose at Italian level,
since Italy is not in the tradition of organising similar congresses,
open to confrontation with many theologians from many nations. The
newness character attracted people because of its opening, but it was
not easy to meet with recognition. To me, there has been a fundamental
obstacle to expose the contribution of a theological research in the
vast world of the Italian cultural thought. In fact, in this cultural
thought theology, not only the women theology, is always recognised
under the substantially clerical aspect, shut up within the ecclesial
walls. After all, theology has not yet the right of citizenship in the
panorama of the Italian cultural debate. As such, what we desired,
namely to make the contribution of the Italian women theologians known
as much as possible, has been the major obstacle to knock down. I think,
for instance, of the communication means of lay media”.
What has changed for women in the Church during these 40 years from the
ecumenical Council?
“Very many thinks have changed, which I would define according to three
different perspectives. The first is a perspective of presence from the
viewpoint of an effective action of ministry, recognised as meaningful
and important for the life of the Church. I think of a very simple fact:
Out of 300 hundred thousand of Italian catechists, more than 90% are
women. This means having the possibility of transmitting faith, which is
not limited to domestic walls, as it has happened from century to
century. It means having assumed a role in the transmission of faith, in
the building up of the community through the particularly meaningful
moment of catechesis, of a series of ministries, which stimulate and
help the life of the community. The second change is the possibility of
a development of reflection on the identity of being woman, believer and
Christian, seen that until Vatican II there was no specific theory of
gender, being it declined only in a masculine way. The third thing,
which concerns me most, a lot has changed for women because of the
possibility of acquiring the scientific instruments to be enrolled and
to accede to faculties of theology, therefore the possibility of
teaching theology for the past two or three tens of years. This has
happened not only in Europe, bu also in many more countries of the
planet. For instance, I remember the lively words of women from Latin
America.
Vatican II has marked an enormous opening from the ecumenical viewpoint
of dialogue with other churches, consequently the possibility for
Catholic women of a more immediate and constant confrontation with women
belonging to other Christian churches. Practically, it means the
opportunity of learning reciprocally the sense of being woman in the
church and of being a presence of service. Today, there is the
possibility of access to the Word of God, as root, to say one’s own
identity. The access to the Word means for all the right of word within
the church, recognised as a reliable word. As for me, I teach
ecclesiology and ordained ministry and this allows me to participate and
accede to a space denied for centuries.
Which spaces can the lay or religious women occupy within the ecclesial
community?
“Surely, it would be appreciated to have the access not only to
faculties of theology, but also to meaningful and recognised roles in
the daily, ordinary life of the local churches, the dioceses and
parishes. I would take the example from the experiences in the local
churches of Latin America and Africa, where lay and religious women
animate the parish communities with regard to the formation of workers.
With regard to theology, the fields that should be more at the centre of
a development process are: theological anthropology, since women are
very much interested to the theme of corporeity, sacramental theology,
sexual morality and bioethics, which have been carried on by men for
centuries. I think that it is essential to give to women the possibility
of expressing their reflections on sexual morality and on bioethics, in
which the gender contribution would truly be a first level of
reflection. It is time to discuss again the theme on women deaconate,
because we have ninth century attestations in this sense. I think it is
opportune to have a theological reflection, with freedom of research, in
the Church of Rome. The present attitude of women is not that of
revenge, but a strong desire of ecclesial service at many levels and at
various title”.
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