International Congress on abuses of power in the Church

The Jordan International Congress on abuses of power in the Church will be held from 5 to 7 June in Madrid.

This meeting will analyse the structural causes of such abuse - which may include abuse of conscience, authority, spiritual, sexual, etc. - and possible solutions, based on the dialogue between theology and other disciplines. It will be an academic and scientific meeting point and a working forum to seek proposals for good institutional practices to prevent abuse in the Church and to find keys to deactivate abusive behaviour. It is convened by the scientific research project Jordán, which delves into the structural causes of the abuse of power within the Catholic Church, from a theological-spiritual perspective. Jordán is part of UNIJES (Jesuit Universities in Spain). It is also co-financed by Porticus Iberia.

It is organised around three thematic blocks that form the common thread of the plenary sessions in the mornings, which will be broadcast by webinar for online registrations. The blocks are: 1. Abuse and power: a theological perspective; 2. Ecclesial relations and the structural dimension of abuse; 3. In the afternoons, these blocks will be explored in depth through papers and itineraries.

Aimed primarily at researchers in the theological area related to the abuse of power, or people who research this issue in the Church or in other areas of society from different fields. It is also open to the participation of other profiles committed to overcoming abuse in the Church, such as: victims' associations, those responsible for victim care offices, protection/safeguarding delegates, care professionals, etc. The congress will have simultaneous translation in English and Spanish.

Regarding the Faculty of Theology at Comillas, the executive scientific committee includes Professors Julio Martínez Martínez, PhD, and Nurya Martínez-Gayol Fernández, PhD. On the other hand, the organising committee, chaired by Valeska Ferrer Usó, PhD, includes Professor Gabino Uríbarri Bilbao, PhD.

The Congress will feature, among others, a lecture by Professor Gabino Uríbarri, SJ, PhD, entitled "Pistas para un ejercicio sano del poder" (Clues for a healthy exercise of power).

Registration for the Congress is open by clicking here.

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