When Sister Mary John Mananzan first received an e-mail informing her
that she had been named one of the top 100 inspiring people in the
world, she thought that it was another spam message.
Mananzan, executive director of the Institute of Women’s Studies of
St. Scholastica’s College, told the Philippine Daily Inquirer that she
was overwhelmed when she discovered how prestigious was the Women
Deliver 100 list that included US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
“I got so many of those (spam) before on my e-mail account, where the
message would say I had been chosen to be among the recipients of some
award but then I would have to pay for something,” she said with a
laugh.
Mananzan said she was not able to read the e-mail, which she received
from the New York-based Women Deliver last week, but she learned of the
list’s prestige from other people who congratulated her during one of
her religious missions in Tacloban City.
“I did not realize what the e-mail from Women Deliver was real. I did
not know how prestigious it was. But when I realized it was authentic
and to be on a list including Hillary Clinton, I was so overwhelmed,”
she said.
Mananzan was cited for being instrumental in developing a feminist
Third World theology within the Catholic Church and introducing feminist
activism into the country’s Catholic faith.
She said she was just part of the Ecumenical Association of Third
World Theologians which saw the dominance of patriarchy in the Church
and sought the establishment of a theology from the perspective of Third
World women.
“Religion is both liberating and oppressive. Here, we
sought to deconstruct the oppressive and construct the liberating
aspect,” she said.
Her group analyzes the teachings in the Bible, a lot of passages of
which are misinterpreted and are used for oppression, she said.
Mananzan cited an abused woman in the care of the Benedictine
Sisters, who claimed that her husband would cite a biblical passage in
which Eve had been taken from Adam’s ribs to justify that he should be
in full control and could do whatever he wanted.
“God will not sanction the oppression of anybody … We have to make
women understand that in the eyes of God, they are on the same level as
men. They have the same dignity. They have the same opportunity,” the
Benedictine nun said.
She said the empowerment of a woman could not be complete without the
spiritual aspect. “In empowering a woman spiritually, she must develop
self-esteem in the sense that she is created in the image and likeness
of God.”
Mananzan holds the distinction of being the first woman to graduate
summa cum laude from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome,
earning a doctorate in Philosophy, majoring in Linguistics Analysis.
Upon her return to the country in 1973, she was entrusted with a
number of positions, including the deanship and subsequently the
presidency of St. Scholastica’s College, and the leadership of the
Association of Major Religious Superiors of the Philippines.
Mananzan also held positions in the Ecumenical Association of
Third-World Theologians and in Gabriela, an organization promoting
women’s rights which she cofounded. She subsequently founded the women
studies program in St. Scholastica’s College.
She said that when she first joined the Benedictine order at 19 years
old, all she thought was she could not participate in social work for
the poor unless she was a nun.
“I was so young at 19. I always say, ‘Do
not ask me why I entered. Ask me why I am staying,’” she said with a
smile. “It is because I found more reasons to stay.”
The first time she told her mother of her decision to enter the
Benedictine order, after finishing her tertiary education at St.
Scholastica’s College, her mother was speechless.
“The next day, she
told me ‘It was OK if I really wanted to be a nun.’ She was very proud
of me,” Mananzan said, beaming.
Despite the gains in the pursuit of women empowerment, she said there
was still a long way to go.
She said there were 350 men who had
completed the women studies seminars, which basically teach them that
they can remain “macho” even if they show tenderness, warmth and love
toward their partners.
She noted that more women-friendly laws were being passed even if she found their implementation wanting.
Many priests are understanding the perspective of women in theology
although the Church hierarchy as a whole remains patriarchic, Mananzan
said.
“In a matter of consciousness, we have achieved a lot. But we
still have a long way to go. We have, after all, a population of 90
million … We have to reach out to mothers who are not conscious of these
things so they would not continue to pass on gender-based subservience
to their daughters,” she said.