Sister Lorena’s fight against witch craze: Ancient human phenomenon
Since 2015 came Sister Lorena Jenal already saved 193 women from the community of the Baldegger Sisters in the canton of Lucerne. Two years ago, the aid organization missio Aachen expected the UN in Geneva to submit a human rights report. Last Wednesday, Jenal and Missio informed the Pope in the Vatican about the International Day Against Witchcraft Madness on August 10th. In an interview, the nun tells how a synodal path helped to deal with polygamy.
Question: Sister Lorena, you met the Pope briefly. What did you tell him?
Sister Lorena: I told him that August 10th marks the third World Day Against Witchcraft. That it is our concern to end this madness and to help women to their human rights.
Question: Was Francis said?
Sister Lorena: He thumbed up, signed and blessed our poster. The picture shows Christina, a woman who fell victim to the witch craze ten years ago, but whom we were able to save.
Question: Why are women and others accused of witchcraft? What do the prosecutors mean by that?
Sister Lorena: It’s the age-old human phenomenon: we need a scapegoat.
Question: How do you find the scapegoats, what should they atone for?
Sister Lorena: They are people who somehow step out of line. The women we were able to rescue were all very strong women. They know what they want, they can find a way out even in the most difficult situations – with the family, the husband, the gardens … And because we are dealing with a very patriarchal society, they sometimes become too strong – even though they support us of the family are.
Question: What are these women accused of?
Sister Lorena: Deaths are often sudden. Once it was a woman who carried out pregnancy psychosis. She gave birth to a healthy boy, the doctor treated her. Nevertheless, she was tortured. I then had the gynecologist give me the report and explained it to the people in the village. Today the family lives happily in the village. Every fall is different.
Question: Who is bringing the charges? Who makes the judgement?
Sister Lorena: The village community. A woman is accused; a few hundred people come, sometimes even police officers. Then the woman is tied and undressed. To get her confession as a witch, she is tortured; Men always start with the breasts. Strong women say no. Others pull others into it. You have to know the background: the people there were catapulted from the Stone Age into the digital world in the 40 years that I have been there. Within two generations from the stone ax to the smartphone. Plus alcohol and guns, but underinvestment in education.
Question: Who makes the judgement?
Sister Lorena: Those who torment – often under the influence of alcohol. The verdict has already been made.
Question: How else can you intervene?
Sister Lorena: In November we were able to save seven women – each with three to five children and one man. I went there with my co-workers and said: I have no husband, no children, you can start with me. Then she says: “No, that’s not possible.”
Question: Why?
Sister Lorena: Most of them know me; also know what my employees and I have already done for them. I told them: You were all born of a woman. None of you would be here if your mother hadn’t carried you in her womb for nine months and given birth in pain. And now you’re inflicting this woman pain – it’s madness. That was very dramatic – after that I didn’t sleep all night. But nothing happened to the seven women and me. Word like this gets around and can change people’s minds.
Question: In Canada, the Pope has asked for forgiveness because previous missionaries did not respect cultural-religious traditions of indigenous people. How do you distinguish between these and human rights violations?
Sister Lorena: I am not of the opinion that people get better after they are baptized. This is the free choice of every human being. I’ve learned their language, trying to understand customs and traditions that are important to the people here. I was very fortunate to live with families, to meet men who were great chiefs of their tribes.
Question: How do you deal with polygamy?
Sister Lorena: A chief came up to me, pointed his index finger at me and said: “Your sisters must obey.
Question: Did you obey?
Sister Lorena: The catechumenate lasted seven years – with this man, who had eight wives, 25 to 30 sons, he never counted the daughters. Once I ask him: why do you want to become a Christian so badly? Then he took a crucifix from the wall, sat on the floor and held it in his arms like a mother would her child. Then he: “Lorena, listen to me: this one, who died on the cross, included in his love sacrifice all the sacrifices that happened before, what we did, what is happening today and is still happening.” The man who could not read and write has much easier to hear what is complicated in Hebrews.
Question: And then?
Sister Lorena: I said to our Capuchin Father: We baptize Chief Sia. “You’re crazy,” he said, “we can’t baptize a man with eight wives.” So I said to him: I can only prepare, not baptize. You’d have to clarify that, man to man.
Question: And…?
Sister Lorena: We didn’t solve the problem with church representatives, but with the village community in a synodal way to find a way together and for each other. The women have decided together with the man which of them will bond for the rest of their lives. He continued to look after the other women, but they lived on their own or with their sons. He married the youngest, but that was her decision. And so we had a family baptism – including his wives, children and grandchildren. His youngest daughter works in our pastoral care center. This synodal way of working together and caring for one another is also the ideal way to combat the witch craze.
Question: Is such a conversation still possible after the incident of a witch trial?
Sister Lorena: You always have to look for that, but be careful. Tempers have to calm down first. So you wait a week or two, then you work very hard and you have to keep answering and checking if everyone is okay.
Question: You have been threatened several times. Have you ever thought of returning to your Swiss homeland because it’s safer and more beautiful there?
Sister Lorena: The last time I had a knife to my neck was in April. It was clear to me: I have to get away first, gain distance and inner balance. I’m sure I’ll keep coming back to Europe to refuel – but not to come. After so many years, coming back to a Switzerland that is organized like this, where everything counts to the minute and there are regulations for everything. I would be overwhelmed (laughs), and the others with me.
By Roland Juchem (KNA)