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Should the Role of Women in Churches Be Promoted?

With decreasing church attendance after increasing church scandals involving mostly male priests, pastors, etc, some churches are exploring the option of integrating more females into the church organization to woo back their parishoners.

The question thus is "Should the role of women in churches be promoted?"
If so, why? If not, why?

Cxsm
11th Jan. '08
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Diocese Promotes Women's Role in Church And Society

Catholic Information Service for Africa (Nairobi)
2 Oct. 2007
Konigstein

The Catholic Diocese of Soddo-Hosanna is promoting the status of women through a range of educational and skills training programmes.

According to Bishop Rodrigo Mejía Saldarriaga, women do not have equal educational opportunities with men, although they are regarded highly in the African cultures as the "source of life".

Bishop Mejia told the German-based international Catholic pastoral charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) that even now many Africans would not understand why women should learn to read and write or be trained for a profession.

The diocese of Soddo-Hosanna has set up a women's office to help them form cooperatives and to offer courses in sewing, cooking and computers. The purpose is to enable women to earn their own living and to make them "feel independent in society", Bishop Mejia said.

African women are very hardworking, the bishop emphasised, adding that there has been a good response to the church-run promotional programmes. The more strongly women were promoted in this way the more the awareness of their dignity grew in society, he said. The promotion of women was a "particular aspect of the work for justice and peace".

Bishop Mejía said polygamy and female genital mutilation of women represented a challenge to the welfare of women in many African cultures. He expressed satisfaction that governments had recognized the psychological and health consequences of these practices and were working to stop them.

The bishop also emphatically welcomed the involvement of women as catechists in pastoral work. In the early phase of the missionary work only men had been used as catechists, he said, and had tended to function to some extent as "second priests".

He said the church had gained positive experiences with female catechists who, he said, had "a particular approach to people that was friendlier and gentler". They had proved themselves to be reliable and, "as women usually do", generally gave a better example in everyday life than the men.

One of the greatest challenges for the diocese is the steady growth of the Catholic Church in the region and the consequent demands of the pastoral ministry to the faithful. The work of the Church is made harder by the poor roads, especially during the rainy season.

The Diocese of Soddo-Hosanna has a population of seven million, of whom some 236,000 are Catholics, served by 50 priests. Ethiopian Catholics are just 0.6 percent of the 70 million-strong population.

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May we be strengthened with the ability, willingness and capabilities to be good ambassadors of Nigeria contributing to its uplifting, rather than its detriment. - Cxsm

admin · Site Admin Joined: 25 May 2007 Posts: 5404

Yes, because women are seen as less of a threat and viewed as more compassionate and understanding, while being equally effective in ther ministerial duties.

Cxsm

_________________
May we be strengthened with the ability, willingness and capabilities to be good ambassadors of Nigeria contributing to its uplifting, rather than its detriment. - Cxsm