Holding in Trust?
Towards a theology of Safeguarding
Jim McManus
Version 4.2, March 2010
Jim McManus

Is a Chartered Psychologist, Chartered Scientist, Fellow of the Faculty of
Public Health of the UK Royal Colleges of Physicians and an Associate
Fellow of the British Psychological Society.

He is Joint Director of Public Health for Birmingham, jointly appointed by the
three NHS Primary Care Trusts and the City Council.

Jim is an adviser on healthcare to the Catholic Bishops’ Conference and a
Catholic Theologian.

His first degree in theology is from Glasgow, where he took a BD with Joint
Honours in Systematic and Practical Theology. He was awarded the
University’s Clelland and Rae Wilson Medal and Dixon Prizes, both for
Systematic Theology.

His theological interests include theological anthropology, dialogue between
Catholic and Reformed theology, Scottish late modern theology, the
theology of health, public theology and the relationships between
psychology and theology.
Using this powerpoint as a
resource
As a lecture
 Self-directed learning and reflection...using
the sources listed
 In groupwork...taking as long as you need
using the exercises
 Insert extra discussion points

Key Points

A theology of safeguarding is not about embedding
something new.



It is about unearthing, rediscovering and living principles which
are already implicit in the nature of the Church and its mission,
the authentic witness to the work of God in Christ and the
teaching of the Gospels
We will never have a culture of safeguarding truly and
fully embedded within the Church UNLESS we
understand and live it as primarily coming from a
theological imperative, an essential part of living the
gospel
Abuse of children and vulnerable adults, whatever else it
may be, is contrary to justice;

that strikes at the heart of the Church’s mission and
understanding of itself
Inculturation or rediscovery?



We need to find a way of embedding practices of
safeguarding, while articulating the issues
theologically
We need to articulate theological issues in a
language and way which the safeguarding world
can engage with and understand
The Church does have experience of this,
missionaries and evangelists have been doing it
for generations. Why is it such a challenge now?
Challenges
We are not all starting from the same
place...understanding that is key
 We may disagree about primacy of some
starting points and about methods
 We may disagree about importance of
sources
 The “sexual sin and repentance” typology
will continue to be strong. How do we use
it?

Sexual Sin and Repentance Typology
An example
 Impurity – resist through
willpower
 Sin against chastity –
confess, repent and sin
no more
 “Proximate occasions of
sin” – put in place ways of
avoiding them
Problems with this
 Ignores learning from
psychology about
vulnerability to abuse
 Ignores learning from
psychology about
paedophilia
 Puts the emphasis on the
person when the issue is
as much
structural/cultural as
individual
So....
This creates a typical “theological
problem” – our traditional obvious answer
doesn’t work and we have to go back to
sources. (Theological method)
 This session will seek to give ways of
solving that theological problem using a
Catholic theological method

First take social science insights
A classic Psychological Study…

Experience of sexual abuse, Hall says, disrupts “
a sense of being loved by God, a sense of
community with others and trust in God’s plan
and purpose for the future.” (Hall, 1995, p129.)

This should be obvious to us, but think through
what it means – the Church, the vehicle to help
people live out their discipleship and relationship
with God, actually gets in the way. It risks cutting
people off from the people of God if it doesn’t
safeguard them.
Implications
The experience Hall talks of fundamentally
inverts the nature of what the Church
does. A vehicle to frame and support the
relationship with God actually disrupts and
frustrates this…
 A church which is unsafe cannot claim to
be one, holy, Catholic or Apostolic (the
four marks of the Church.)

What is safeguarding?
This triadic structure needs to
be mirrored both in
safeguarding practices and in
safeguarding theology
Mirroring the triadic structure

Safeguarding in secular
contexts

Safeguarding in Ecclesial
Contexts
1.
Policies and procedures
Education and Training
Implementing Safeguarding
1.
Explicit theological
understanding underpins
policies and procedures
designed to deliver this
Formation of the whole
people of God for
Safeguarding as part of their
ministry and calling
Safeguarding practice seen
as an essential aspect of
authentic ministry and
mission;
2.
3.
2.
3.
Not quite the way to do it…
Discussion Exercise
What is Theology?
 Why does it matter anyway?
 Do we need a theology of safeguarding?
 What do you think it would look like?

Theology
Brings us to understanding our faith and
thinking through it
 Helps the church live its life in connection
with its principles
 Interprets and relates what God’s will and
the Church’s mission means in the present
situation
 Theology is lived or “done” not just written
if it means anything

Starting Points





The Bible
Church History
The Church’s self understanding as expressed in its
teaching (Ecclesiology - e.g. The marks of the Church
earlier?)
The Church’s Law – another means of selfunderstanding
Aspects of theology


Our understanding of the human person in theological light
(theological anthropology)
Our understanding of actions and norms for conduct in
theological light (moral theology)
Starting with the Scriptures:
Safeguarding as good stewardship



God’s mission is one of love and service as
shown to us by Jesus. A child-like vulnerability is
of the essence of the kingdom (Matthew 18:3-5,
Mark10:13-16).
The Mission of the Church, which grows from
and is part of the mission of God recognises a
priority to nurture children and care for
vulnerable people. So this is a core value of the
Church.
The duty of stewardship imparted by God
Charity and Justice

You shall love your neighbour as yourself

Love does no wrong to a neighbour,
therefore love is the fulfilling of the Law
(Romans 13: 9-10)
Derive a Principle from this that Safeguarding as
Integral to the Church’s Mission

Safeguarding challenges those in positions of authority
(including those within families) who deny the issue,
collude with it or cover it up. The church needs to
witness this prophetic challenge, which affects all parts
of society and all societies, to give priority to those who
are vulnerable and hurting.

For the church to become a safer place it needs to
develop and nurture places of hospitable space or
sanctuary. Church people need to develop a sense of
hospitality which includes openness and careful
listening. A sense of hospitable space, and careful
welcome must also extend to the offender – justice and
mercy demand we provide the opportunity for
repentance and inclusion
Exercise

From your understanding of the scriptures,
take a passage which you think could be
used in a safeguarding context, and derive
a principle from it
Tension and Paradox
if we follow the ecclesiological line....

There is a tension – the Church needs to critique rather
than just uncritically adopt secular trends to get the best
out of them for the people of God and the Common
Good. But equally it needs to be able to do so because it
points to the promise and marks of what it means to be
church.

This sets up a paradox. We might want to critique some
aspects of safeguarding because they are alien to a
Christian understanding, but equally the task of the
Church requires and implies safeguarding.
What I will show later (the suggested framework) will imply we have to
Follow an ecclesiological line at some point as part of this
Frameworks which don’t fit without thinking through

Behavioural Sciences








Psychology of Behaviour
Psychology of Sexuality
Psychology of Character
Development
Psychology of Organisations
Psychology of Christian
Churches and Ministry
Criminology
Risk and Operational
Modelling
A Life course approach to
safeguarding

Fundamental
problems of paradigm
in how we have
engaged with the
social sciences have
created a theological
problem for us
A Theological Framework
(St Thomas’ structure for the Summa)
God
Exitus
Reditus
Human Life
The Church
Ecclesiological
line of thought
We need to discover and discern the theological principles that put safeguarding as an
Essential aspect of the Church’s life and mission in the context of the economy of
Salvation. Abuse, and allowing abuse, is falling short of God’s will for us and we have to
Find a way of dealing with this
Some different starting
points…
Which ones work for you?
Dogmatic Theology
 The
Nature of the Trinity
 God as Father, God as Mother – God as nurturer and
protector - love
 The Person and Work of Christ
 A Pneumatology of Safeguarding
 Safeguarding as a mark of living our relationship with
the economic Trinity
 Safeguarding as an analogy of the immanent Trinity
Theological Anthropology

Theological
Anthropology



Called to participate
Given dignity and
purpose
Made for union

Human Ecology (Centesimus Annus)

In addition to the irrational destruction of
the natural environment, we must also
mention the more serious destruction of
the human environment…too little effort
is made to safeguard the moral
conditions for an authentic ‘human
ecology’…..in this context, mention
should be made of the serious problems
of modern urbanization, of the need for
urban planning which is concerned with
how people are to live, and of the
attention which should be given to a
“social ecology” of work
Ecclesiology

Ecclesiology – The Church as Sacrament – John Paul II’s concept of
Human Ecology

The Nature and Mission of the Church


The Church as Sacrament – a sacrament is a place of healing, encounter
and growth. It therefore requires safety.
The marks of the Church – safeguarding is at their heart







An unsafe church is not one
An unsafe church is not holy
An unsafe church is not universal
An unsafe church is not in keeping with the mission of the Apostles
Embodying the Virtues
Justice, Peace and the Integrity of Creation
Making room for Grace or Sinning Against Grace?
Canon Law
 Canon
Law
The rights of the People of God
 The duties of the People of God
 The Church’s Juridical self-understanding

In the world, but not of the
world…a framework for
reflection
Moral, Pastoral, Social Theology





Pastoral Theology




The Social Teaching of the Church
The nature of the person and character (back to Theological
Anthropology)
Fundamental Option
Reviewing our theology of development
Creating opportunities for safe pilgrimage
Ministry Appraisal
Ministry Development
Liturgical Theology – a safe place for divinisation

The Eucharist – mark of the Church’s promise, mark of her calling
needs to be a place of safety. A truly “celebrating” church is one where
everyone is safe to celebrate.
Using the Church’s documents
In our service of charity, we must be
inspired and distinguished by a specific
attitude: we must care for the other as a
person for whom God has made us
responsible.
 Evangelium Vitae, 87
 How does this read in Safeguarding eyes?

SOMETIMES CHURCH
DOCUMENTS HELP...BUT NOT
AS MUCH AS YOU MIGHT
LIKE....(not least because of
their language)
What’s the limits of this one?

Sexual violence with regard to children is
not infrequent. Parents must protect their
children, first by teaching them a form of
modesty and reserve with regard to
strangers, as well as by giving suitable
sexual information, but without going into
details and particulars that might upset or
frighten them. (truth and meaning of
human sexuality, 85)
Catechism of the Catholic
Church para 2389

Connected to incest is any sexual abuse
perpetrated by adults on children or
adolescents entrusted to their care. The
offence is compounded by the scandalous
harm done to the physical and moral
integrity of the young, who will remain
scarred by it all and their lives; and the
violation of responsibility for their
upbringing
Context of this




Section on the 6th commandment – adultery
Sometimes church documents have what we
would call an imperfect social scientific
understanding
We have to do theology which starts from there
in dialogue with church documents and takes us
to a place most of these documents never
envisaged…
The shame is not that these documents never
envisaged this, but that we have a world in
which we have to
Some Theological Principles.
Safeguarding...








is essential to the Church’s fulfilment of its calling and mission, given
by Christ
is implicit in what Jesus intended when he said “feed my lambs, feed
my sheep”
Is essential if we are to introduce people effectively to relationship
with God
Is a sign of the kingdom – Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation
Safeguarding is an exercise of Charity and of Justice
Safeguarding helps the Church stay one, holy, Catholic and
Apostolic
Safeguarding reflects the loving nature of God
Safeguarding is an essential context for people to receive the
sacraments and grow in discipleship
Compare theology with secular principles
Theology



is essential to the Church’s
fulfilment of its calling and
mission, given by Christ
is implicit in what Jesus
intended when he said “feed
my lambs, feed my sheep”
Is essential if we are to
introduce people effectively to
relationship with God
Principles
Compare theology with secular principles 2
Theology





Is a sign of the kingdom –
Justice, Peace and Integrity of
Creation
Safeguarding is an exercise of
Charity and of Justice
Safeguarding helps the Church
stay one, holy, Catholic and
Apostolic
Safeguarding reflects the
loving nature of God
Safeguarding is an essential
context for people to receive
the sacraments and grow in
discipleship
Secular Principle
Exercise
Which starting point appeals most to you
in your safeguarding work as a place to do
a theology?
 Which starting point appeals most to you
as a place to start with others?
 How would you go about understanding
how and where others like to start?
 Which starting point would you use for the
person you find most difficult to work with?

Some References











Bunge, M.J. “Introduction.” The Child in Christian Thought. Ed. M.J. Bunge. New York: Eerdmans,
2001. 1-28.
—. The Child in Christian Thought. Ed. M.J. Bunge. New York: Eerdmans, 2001.
Gall, T.A. “Spiritual Effects of Childhood Sexual Abuse in Adult Christian Women.” Journal of
Psychology and Theology 21.3 (1995): 129-134.
Hinsdale, M.A. “"Infinite Openness to the Infinite": Karl Rahner's Contribution to Modern Catholic
Thought on the Child.” The Child in Christian Thought. Ed. M.J. Bunge. New York: Eerdmads,
2001. 406-445.
Luxon, P. “Towards a Theology of Safeguarding.” November 2008. Methodist Church
Safeguarding Newsletter. 14 February 2009 <http://www.methodist.org.uk/downloads/lksafeguarding-1108.pdf>.
Pattison, S. “Suffer Little Children: The Challenge of Child Abuse and Neglect to Theology.”
Theology and Sexuality 5.9 (1998): 36-58.
White, A. “Between Exile and Redemption: A View of the Catholic Church in England.” New
Blackfriars 85.995 (2004): 5 - 16.
Just Ministry: Professional Ethics for Pastoral Ministers by Richard M. Gula (Paperback - Jan. 4,
2010) Paulist Press
What's New in Church Leadership?: Creative Responses to the Changing Pattern of Church Life
by Malcolm Grundy (Paperback - May 30, 2007)
Keeping Faith in Practice by James Sweeney, Gemma Simmonds, (Paperback - Dec. 1, 2009)
Let the Little Children Come to Me: Childhood and Children in Early Christianity - Paperback (15
Sep 2009) by Cornelia B. Horn and John W. Martens
Thank you!
Questions, comments, discussion.......
Jim.mcmanus@bhwp.nhs.uk
or
Jim.mcmanus@birmingham.gov.uk