Women share responsibility for Church

The World Union of Catholic Women’s Organisations has decided to celebrate one hundred years of existence by returning to the womb of Christianity, the Holy City of Jerusalem. On Wednesday, some 500 women from across the globe gathered in the Pontifical Institute of Notre Dame in Jerusalem to hear Archbishop Antonio Franco, Apostolic Nuncio to the Holy Land, deliver Pope Benedict XVI’s message for the week long conference.

The Holy Father praised the WUCWO’s contributions to the Church’s mission. “The special vocation of women”, he said “enriches the Church”. In welcoming participants after mass in the Co-Cathedral, Patriarch Faud Twal described Jerusalem as the “Mother Church” and expressed his hope that the women’s journey would “strengthen their faith and deepen their communion with the Lord”.

Speaking to Vatican Radio, Archbishop Franco said that the Church is placing increasing emphasis on “the role and shared responsibility of women in the Church and its mission”.

“There are sectors” he added “where their presence and mission is paramount, because they have their own specific contribution”. With an eye on the upcoming Synod for the Churches in the Middle East, the Archbishop concluded that women are involved on the ground in trying to promote peace between the various components of society, as mothers, educators and active members of civil society.

The conference concludes on October 12^th. Hear more: