They propose a global alliance to rescue the spirituality of Mary Magdalene

On January 19, 2006, the day that Father Juan Solana, LC purchased the first of the four plots of land that make up the Center Magdala In the Holy Land, the then Archbishop of Liverpool, Patrick Altham Kelly, gave her a special order: “Remove the epithet of prostitute from Mary Magdalene.”

Almost two decades have passed since then and Father Solana shared this anecdote during a meeting with the media in which he presented the Magdalena Project that comes to fulfill the fiery recommendation of the English prelate.

Years after what was intended to be another reception center for pilgrims in the Holy Land became the largest archaeological discovery in the city of Magdala, where two synagogues from the 1st century are preserved intact, Father Solana launches a new one initiative that aims to promote a renewed spirituality about the dignity of women.

The idea is to achieve “a twinning between institutions that have Mary Magdalene as their patron or inspirer,” explained Father Solana, regarding “the woman most cited in the Gospels.”

“Mary Magdalene is an olive tree that has grown a little wild”

“We are going to focus strictly on what the Gospel says, which although it is very little, it is a lot,” explains the religious. In his opinion, “Mary Magdalene is an olive tree that has grown a little wild, from which branches of all kinds have grown,” partly because of the morbidity that her figure arouses and, precisely, because of the traditional connection of her figure with the scourge of prostitution.

Thus, the idea is to “prune this tree a little in the light of the most recent studies, of the official positions of the Church, so that it grows better, stronger and in the direction it should grow,” he added.

Faced with the tendency “toward confrontation and morbid questioning” when talking about Mary Magdalene, the new project wants to base its action on “a solid core” drawn from the teachings of the Church, from which to “promote a spirituality for art.” , culture, pastoral care, preaching, etc.”

The first concrete effort in this direction, if the security conditions due to the conflict in the Gaza Strip allow it, will consist of representatives of the entities under the patronage of Saint Mary Magdalene who want to join the initiative to make a pilgrimage to the Holy Land on 2 to December 8 and meet at the Magdala Center, where they will lay the foundations for this kind of global alliance.

Parishes, associations or institutions inspired by the saint interested in participating can contact the organizers through email magdalenacamino0@gmail.com.

Father Solana is hopeful about the success of this project: “we are going to throw a snowball. How much will it grow? We do not know. But I think it is very providential to have discovered Magdala at this time and to have started the project because the issue of women is extremely crucial.”

Mary Magdalene, feminism and the apostolate

Father Solana did not avoid the opportunity to reflect on the demands on the role of women in the Catholic Church, pointing out, with Pope Francis, that when Jesus asks him to announce his Resurrection to the Apostles he receives the “office of the apostolate.” and establishes her as an evangelizer.

“I believe that the role of women in evangelizing action is very important, very decisive and much deeper,” he added, before expressing that “the ministerial part entrusted by the wishes of Jesus Christ to men in the priesthood and the evangelizing part is where they have to complement each other and not be opposing and violating each other without any fruit or any need.”

To help discern all this, Father Solana considers that the Catholic Church “can find profound illumination in Mary Magdalene.”