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| Almost a Tradition: The Academic Visit March 22, 2012 |
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Marianne Strub, Swiss theologian, has been with INESIN for five years. She works in our Theology and Spirituality Eje, with a focus on gender. Here, Marianne writes of the visit of Theologian Hans Strub, also her father.
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 This past February, INESIN welcomed Hans Strub, a pastor working at the Center for Ecclesiastical Development at Zurich University´s School of Theology. Strub joined us as the fourth visiting Swiss professor sent by DM-échange et mission, our Swiss partner. After facilitating an intensive course on urban mission at the Comunidad Teológica de México, Strub led a workshop here at INESIN and participated in the sixth session of our course on Pastoral Accompaniment in Situations of Domestic Violence (DAPVF). The workshop Strub facilitated at INESIN explored the characteristics of dependent relationships and how to prevent abuse in these relationships. Though a complicated subject, little by little we discovered that in every relationship of accompaniment (pastoral, therapeutic, etc.), the two parties (the person seeking support and the one offering it) are dependent on each other. However, the person providing accompaniment (the pastor, therapist, doctor, teacher…) must make sure that no one abuses this dependent relationship. Dependency also has to do with how we view power. Every relationship has dimensions of power. Just as we cannot prevent dependency, we cannot remove power dynamics from relationships. However, Strub highlighted, we can always become more aware, responsible and careful in the ways we manage power. When done in INESIN offers two trainings in pastoral accompaniment: Photo Captions: 1. Theologian Hans Strub with Eréndira Villanueva Sánchez, member of INESIN´s board |
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professional relationships, we can prevent abuse of both power and dependency. This workshop raised awareness of a rarely-addressed topic and provided us with many new insights into our accompaniment work. Calle Franz Blom, # 38-A |