The Church is a woman, “a daughter, a bride, and a mother”, according to Pope Francis, speaking ahead of International Women’s Day.
In a speech at the international conference, Women in the Church: Builders of Humanity, Pope Francis addressed the role of women in the Church and emphasised the importance of recognising women’s contributions to society.
He called on people to acknowledge the ongoing struggles faced by women worldwide, including violence, inequality and injustice and emphasises the necessity of the advancement of women’s rights and dignity.
The Women’s Leadership, Equality and Participation Committee of Caritas International has published a booklet on the promotion of women’s leadership. It says that “women suffer a poverty of participation in leadership and decision-making” and that this is largely the result of a lack of education and healthcare resources, which creates a culture that “excludes women”.
The booklet offers a theological lens through which to further understand how Christ’s teaching supports women’s leadership and focuses on the lived experiences of women internationally.
The booklet quotes Pope John Paul II in his 1995 letter addressed to women which said, “When it comes to setting women free from every kind of exploitation and domination, the Gospel contains an ever-relevant message which goes back to the attitude of Jesus Christ himself.”
This year marks the 95th anniversary of the introduction of female academic employees into the Vatican Apostolic Library. Gudrun Sailer of Vatican News reports that according to Raffaella Vincenti, the first female secretary of the Library, the Vatican library “has nearly 100 employees, with more than half of them being women, and most of our departments led by women”.
On this International Women’s Day, Barking and Dagenham council launch a new Women’s Museum in Barking, which celebrates the stories of women and girls. The inaugural exhibition opened today and will provide a space for exhibitions and events that highlight the achievements of women in the local area and beyond. The museum is led by New Town Culture, an ongoing curatorial project from Barking and Dagenham Council, which supports local artistic and cultural practices of those from east London.
For further information, visit www.newtownculture.org.
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