(An interview of Sr. Inigo, SSA by M. Amaladoss, S.J October, 2012)

Amaladoss: Dear Sr. Inigo, The Bishops’ Synod on New Evangelization is taking place in Rome .  Do you think that women have any special role in this task of the Church? 

Sr. Inigo: The women have a very important role in evangelization. They are the first communicators of the faith to their children. They also witness to their faith in daily life in various ways.  Today they also engage in preaching publicly. But the Church often ignores them.  The preparatory document for the Synod does not refer to women at all. There is no doubt that everywhere in the world the women are considered the weaker sex and dependent on the men.  This is true also in the Church. 

But is this also true in the life of Jesus and in the early Church?

On the contrary…. The women who associated with Jesus were empowered women. They collaborated with Jesus as equals of the male disciples. The woman of Samaria brought her entire city to Jesus by her testimony (Jn. 4:28 -42).  Women accompanied Jesus in his ministry (cf. Lk 8:2-3); they were present at the foot of the Cross (cf. Lk 23:49 ); they assisted at his burial (cf. Lk 23:55 ); they, especially Mary Magdalene, received and transmitted the message of the resurrection on Easter morning (cf. Lk 24:1-10); and they prayed with the Apostles in the Cenacle awaiting Pentecost (cf. Acts 1:14 ).

But, did not Jesus choose specially twelve male apostles to proclaim the good news?

Sr. Inigo: Not at all. Jesus' Great Commission (Mt. 28:18-20, Mk. 16:15 ) to preach the Gospel and make disciples throughout the world was given to the entire church, both male and female.  Luke 24:33-53 shows that the Commission and opening of their minds to understand the Scriptures were given to the whole company of believers, not only the Eleven.  The book of Acts testifies that at Pentecost, God's power was given both to men and to women for the purpose of bringing unbelievers to salvation (Acts 1:14 -15, 2:1-4 and 14-21).  At a later time, Acts 4:31 tells us that "the Holy Spirit fell on them all, and they all spoke the Word of God with boldness." St. Paul names several women as his "fellow-workers" in proclaiming the Gospel: Priscilla (Rom 16:3), Euodia and Synthyche (Phil. 4:2-3), Mary, Persis, Tryphena and Tryphosa (Rom: 16:6 and 12).  Christianity attracted women because it enabled them to overcome the Patriarchal taboos, judgmental attitudes and biases of the Jewish religion/society. Christianity reasserted the dignity of women as equal beings.

Are the Women given a similar importance and role in the Church today?

In theory, yes! The Fathers at the Asian Synod acknowledged that “the contributions of women have often been undervalued or ignored” (Ecclesia in Asia, 34). Referring to the Second Vatican Council, they said: "Since in our days women are taking an increasingly active share in the whole life of society, it is very important that they participate more widely also in the various fields of the Church's apostolate…

We need to include them as co-workers and co-leaders by recognizing their leadership, competence and intellectual and creative potentialities... Without discrimination women should be participants in the life of the Church and also in consultation and in the process of decision-making." (Christi Fideles Laici - CFL, 51)

But will women get any active role in the mission of the Church in practice?

The truth is that today women are performing most of the functions which Jesus mandated to his disciples as ways of being like him. Today, according to the Sacred Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, one-third of those “engaged directly in evangelization” are men, two-thirds are women. The Congregation declares that: “. . . the history of the missions has for a long time borne witness to the very large role played by women in the evangelization of the world.”

Can you give some concrete examples?

* I find that there is a lot of eagerness among women religious to study the scriptures, theology and spirituality in a contextual way. Some religious women are teaching in the seminaries as professors.

* In some parishes of Asia , a religious Sister, in the absence of a priest, presides over the liturgical assembly of the faithful even on Sundays and exhorts and instructs them in their Christian duties. There are cases where Sisters are permanently in charge of parishes, administer baptism as well as be present at marriages as the Church’s official witness. It is often a religious sister whose presence makes it possible to have the Blessed Sacrament reserved; and she distributes it to the faithful both during Mass and outside of Mass when necessary.

* Even in parishes with priests, women perform important pastoral activities as team members or as staff. They may even, occasionally, deliver homilies, bringing their feminine experience in reflecting on the Scriptures.

* Women, moreover, are increasingly active in the preaching and directing of retreats, in spiritual direction, even of priests, in leading shared prayer and group study of spirituality and of Scripture. A considerable amount of the work of preparing persons, specially children, for the sacraments is in the hands of women.

* In the administration and service of institutional works, hospitals, prisons, homes for street children and orphans, for the disabled and unwanted, training centers for the afflicted and delinquent, women continue “being” Christ for those in need. In one-to-one visits with the psychologically depressed, the guilt-ridden, the aging, women help persons to that conversion of heart.

Do you have any suggestions to improve women’s participation in New Evangelization?

1. More women should be involved in the ministry of proclamation of the Good News. The early Church grew fast because of the female co-workers of apostles like Paul. It can happen again today.

A woman’s experience of God is unique. A woman’s approach to reading and interpreting the Word of God with her specific ethos will naturally make a difference.  

2. Women need to be used, not only for backstage services, but as co-workers and co-leaders by recognizing their leadership competence and intellectual and creative potentialities.

3. Dioceses should train and empower women, specially dalits and tribals, for canonical and judiciary undertakings, marriage and family counselling, priestly formation and lay-leadership training.

 4. Women could be trained to be on the teaching staff of philosophy, theology and scripture in seminaries and faculties.

6. Women should not only have a fair representation in Parish and Diocesan Pastoral councils, but also in CBCI/CCBI/KCBC commissions and conferences, involved in organizing, planning and decision making.

7. Women should be spokes-persons on issues concerning their lives. It should be part of women’s prophetic mission to denounce evils such as rape, gender violence, gender exploitation, sexual abuse both in society and in the Church, dowry etc.

8. Women should get in touch with their own patriarchal blocks! Self realization is important. They have all potentialities. Their partnership in the ministry of evangelization honours the biblical teaching that “God created humankind in his image; male and female he created them”.

A final word?

The parable of the lost coin in St. Luke is one of my favourites.  What the woman is searching for is not the lost coin, but her lost dignity and equality.  Women today are not asking for privileges, but for opportunities to serve the Church and society. A conference on New Evangelization which I attended in Pune recently said: “Women have a special role in contributing to faith formation and preserving the faith of the Church. As mothers they are the primary influences in the lives of children who grow up as Christians. In this work of evangelizing the children in the family, women must be recognized as making a foundational contribution in nurturing the faith of growing children. In fact a large number of women both lay and religious, are engaged in the catechetical apostolate of the Church, thanks to whom the faith is lived and passed on.”

Ultimately, it is women who must determine what a woman’s worth is. To wait for men to undergo an attitudinal change might take too long if the change comes at all. Women played an active and dynamic role in the early church and perhaps that was one of the reasons for the tremendous growth of the church at that time. Similarly, if we want renewal in the church today, if we want a church that is alive and vibrant, we need once again to have women assume responsible roles. What is needed is not a competitive spirit and prejudice, not proving who is right and who is wrong. Men and women who are interested sincerely in the establishment of a new society should work with each other and work out ways and means to build a new Heaven and a new Earth.