Attached Paper In-person November Annual Meeting 2026

An "Orthopathemic" Imagination? Ecclesial Healing Spaces for "Right Suffering" in a Trauma-Informed Church

Abstract for Online Program Book (maximum 150 words)

During his pontificate, Pope Francis invoked the image of the Church as "field hospital" in a world that is facing ever-expanding threats to human dignity and the common good. In 2026, one foundation for this ecclesiology is a trauma-informed Church with an "orthopathemic imagination" in its complex ministries ad extra and ad intra.  An "orthopathemic imagination" refers to a diversely-inculturated, ecclesial spirituality that prioritizes healing for the "sinned-against" while allowing God's Spirit to create new futures for all: victims, perpetrators, bystanders, and those enmeshed in complicity.  Rooted in the healing ministry of Jesus, this imagination moves beyond mere orthodoxy (right belief) and orthopraxis (right action) to a deeper foundation in an orthopathema (right suffering) for the sinned-against that draws insights from restorative practices such as Circle Keeping.