Religious Leadership of Women in Conflict and Crisis (Journal of the European Society of Women in Theological Research, 29)

Conflicts and crises can be found all over the world. You only have to think of the crises we are confronted with at the moment: the corona crisis, the ecological crisis, the migration crisis, war and terror, poverty, racism, and violence against women. Churches and religious communities are moreover affected by sexual and power abuse and inequality between the sexes and the genders. On the other hand, one can observe a growing engagement of women, precisely in these situations of conflict. Women assume leadership roles in religious communities or with religious motivation. The contributions in this issue of the journal address this theme from different perspectives and analyse historical and present examples of women's leadership: in the Soviet Gulags in the 1940s and 1950s, in the Netherlands in the 16th and 17th centuries, in the history and presence of the Dominicans, and in the German debate about Mary (Maria 2.0). They take responsibility for others and they take care for the community and for creation.