There is a Church worthwhile

Based on my experience—an experience that could be nothing other than this—I am certain that women feel and desire to be part of the Church. This experience has been garnered in various countries and cultures in Europe, but especially in the African continent, from whose perspective I speak.

First, I would say that women find Jesus Christ within a living faith community, where they can be protagonists in their own salvation journey. Today—as well as at the dawn of Christianity and throughout the centuries—women are drawn to His figure, His words, and His actions. They respond to His call through different vocations within the Church.

These are women who have experienced the depth of God’s grace, manifested in His Son; a grace that is given in daily situations, the most simple and profoundly human, such as mercy and compassion. In their spiritual contact with Jesus Christ, women have discovered their own worth, and they have witnessed firsthand the inner experience of salvation and liberation He offers. He is a source of peace, spiritual depth, and individual well-being. A discipleship experience opens horizons to their human and believing existence in a complex world.

What are the characteristics of one’s own Church?

The second element is the faith community itself, with its unique characteristics as seen throughout the African continent. Generally, it enjoys a good reputation as both an institution and a human group. It is evident that it also has its flaws, but it maintains a prophetic stance, fighting for human rights, engaging in social action, showing solidarity with the marginalized, and participating in political dialogue and social peace.

Society recognizes a high level of moral and ethical expectation from Christians. In particular, this includes an ethics that promotes gender equality because, despite everything, African Christianity has always acknowledged the value of women. What is often called positive discrimination in other contexts has been a constant practice in missionary work in Africa. Many women, even if not Catholic, have received education in Catholic schools and colleges, and have preserved those human values and the awareness of the worth of being women.

The Church in Africa is not a backward institution with only men as her protagonists, who are seen as disconnected from reality. On the contrary, the Church is involved in the life of the people, playing a central role in society and in human group dynamics, a role recognized even by non-Catholics. As the Synod has highlighted, her characteristics are “communion, participation, and mission”. That is, the Church defines herself as a large family where all members know each other, support each other, share life experiences, pray together, work together, and wait together for the heavenly Jerusalem.

This is a community that nurtures the human spiritual dimension and celebrates faith in a creative way. Human experiences and emotions find an appropriate channel of expression in the liturgy. Communion with ancestors, key life moments (births, marriages, rites of passage, and even funerals) echo in the solemnity, beauty, and spiritual depth of liturgical ceremonies. These ceremonies are a point of attraction for people. Notably, there is also significant participation of women in liturgical and choral groups, who prepare the celebrations with the utmost seriousness because communion with God and with brothers and sisters, both present and past, always passes through the liturgy.

What support is there for human identity and personal growth?

The Christian community often provides an environment of acceptance and inclusion. Specific churches (parishes, Christian groups, and various movements) create an anthropological and social substratum to belong to. As a human group, they offer individuals the grounding elements necessary for a sense of belonging to a vital project worth pursuing. Within this community, individuals find a path to psycho-affective and social well-being. This is especially evident in situations of large migrations caused by war, drought, hunger, etc. People find in any place within their country and in the nations where they seek refuge a reference point that transcends their initial space. This is because the Christian community generates interhuman bonds that preserve both the believing identity and the cultural identity of origin.

Furthermore, the Church is a space for growth. Men and women continuously learn through numerous human and religious formation activities. To belong to the Christian community is not a stagnant state or defined by habit, but by personal enrichment. Although most women may not have access to theological faculties, they can benefit from medium-level programs in human, Christian, and biblical education. Women are indeed present in these programs. They understand that only by expanding their theological education can they change their presence within the Church, gain greater awareness of their situation, and achieve freedom of thought. This is a gradual process, but with profound and lasting consequences.

What of the inclusivity Factor?

There is immense wealth in every parish and diocesan community. The institution allows for the personal protagonism of both religious and laywomen, with a leadership inclination. They are not ignored at all. Women feel that their “own Church” is worth it. They perceive it as their space and know they are full-fledged members. This experience has waned in other geographic areas, perhaps because women are only entrusted with third or fourth-order roles, treated as servants or tools without will or decision-making capacity. On the contrary, women demonstrate great capacity to contribute to the ecclesial community from every domain.

In Africa, as in other parts of the world, the Church has a feminine face. African women are often in charge of temples, coordinators of the services provided, catechists, and proclaimers of the Gospel; and, of course, they are often also responsible for the Church’s charitable and social actions. They are present in all areas, both Christian and non-Christian, without fear, feeling at every moment sent on a mission to transcend social and economic boundaries, thus manifesting God’s benevolence toward every human being. Their presence alongside the poor and defenseless reveals the true face of the Church and embodies the new commandment of love.

Furthermore, women are often found as spiritual guides for reflection and prayer groups, as preachers at retreats (especially consecrated women), as formators in seminaries (typically the best teachers, well-prepared and more demanding with students, working towards a non-misogynistic formation of the clergy), and as animators in basic Christian communities. In other words, women are found in all aspects of the believing life. However, unfortunately, they are not present in ordained ministries, nor in the hierarchy and governance of the very community to which they belong.

As explained by the Women’s Observatory UMOFC, there is a “piercing desire to achieve urgent changes in ecclesial structures, making them more equitable, inclusive, and close to the most vulnerable”, including the women themselves. Women are aware of their dignity as persons and baptized individuals, the richness of the charisms they have received, and their contributions. They are also willing to face the challenge of building the ecclesial community together, but not to live always in opposition as an excluded or marginalized minority; because women are not a minority, on the contrary, they constitute - in numbers and charismatic richness - the majority in the Church.

What of the social relevance?

The numerous male priestly vocations are a sign of the importance of the status one acquires by becoming part of the Church, who tends to favor clericalism. This is also observed in women who choose the consecrated vocation, as they gain a certain social relevance compared to other men and women. However, laywomen also find their status within the community, a status that gives them a human, social, and spiritual role, transforming them into protagonists of their own life project and agents of evangelization.

In other words, women integrate wonderfully into the Church when they possess a certain degree of protagonism. However, recognition from the Christian community is necessary. It is a matter of justice, that of recognizing and valuing the contribution of women to ecclesial life, as well as the quality of that contribution. I believe that the involvement of women in the Church will be greater the more their role is recognized, including their presence in the organizational and decision-making structures of the institution. In this regard, we have an outstanding issue, which is the overcoming of the effects of clerical dominance and, in many cases, misogyny.

Ultimately, women are not spectators but active agents within the Church, and are fully aware of their identity and mission. They are present as promoters of activities and as recipients of actions planned by others. We can say with absolute certainty that the presence and participation of women make the Church a better human and believing community. Their presence is essential for the life and mission of the Church.

By Isabel Alfaro
MC. Biblical Scholar and Nurse

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