How Maria Clara Bingemer’s theology helped me in formulating the pluralist principle

Abstract

The research aimed to identify, in the work of theologian Maria Clara Lucchetti Bingemer, elements that contributed to establishing the conceptual bases of the pluralist principle. Methodologically, three interconnected aspects are highlighted in this approach, in which  the aforementioned author’s contribution to the formulation of the pluralist principle is perceived: (i) the feminist theological perspective; (ii) the relationship between spirituality, pluralism, and dialogue; and (iii) open, dialogical and inter-religious perspectives of mystique and otherness. Among the research results, the following stand out: (a) constitutive elements of a plural logic for the theological method, which highlights the importance of ecumenical and gender issues for current theological reflections and the value of inter-religious mystique and of otherness to human; (b) aspects of the feminist theological vision in the search for feminine images of God, centered on expressions of faith in a non-androcentric divinity, which is a source of critical illumination of the forms of patriarchalism and sexism, whose focus is the spontaneous experience of faith that promotes healing and values the body, sexuality, care, protection and ethical responsibility towards Creation; and (c) subsidies for theological discernment of social and ecclesiastical reality, due to the instability and possibilities that plurality and alterity generate, and for the formulation of theoretical bases aimed
at practical interventions, because in the face of plural realities, in general, clearer positions are required in favor of the empowerment of subordinate groups that lead to justice and peace in the world.