India’s women theologians urges more education to overcome abuse , promote respect

(Nov. 02, 2011)In India, a group of women theologians who met in Mumbai, Maharashtra State over the weekend have stressed the need to educate women in the country about the sacredness of their body in order to promote respect and dignity for them in society.
The two-day annual meeting of the Indian Women Theologians’ Forum that ended on Saturday called for tackling cultural traditions that keep women shackled by violence and oppression, preventing them from reaching their full potential. The meeting also addressed various topics such as the female body and sexuality, cultural and theological perspectives of violence against women, in Indian culture and Christian tradition and the sexual abuse of women in the Church. One of the highlights was the Mass on the opening day prepared by a Belgian-born nun who uses dolls to tell the stories of women in scriptures, history and the present day. Divine Saviour Sister Francoise Bosteels, who began making dolls as a hobby at the age of 17, has spread social awareness in Indian villages for the past 36 years. At the Mumbai meeting, the 69-year-old nun’s dolls depicted stories of Jesus and the Samaritan woman, Jesus and the woman accused of adultery, as well as true modern-day stories of domestic violence, rape and slavery.