Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Seoul (Agenzia Fides) – The Catholic women in eastern Asia and the Pacific are making an effort to work in society, in defense of the family, of immigrants' rights, equal opportunity, to fight marginalization and poverty, to resolve conflicts. This is the information that has come out of a recent convention that took place in Seoul, organized by the World Union of Catholic Women’s Organizations, which was attended by over 200 women from movements and associations from Asian countries such as Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Philippines, South Korea, and Taiwan, and countries in Oceania such as Australia, Fiji, and New Zealand.
The Convention focused on how Catholic women in Asia are called to offer their own Christian testimony and become more involved in the activity of the Church and society.
Women, the assembly noted, should become protagonists in the Church's pastoral activity. It is, in fact, the Church's task to value the feminine charism and the human resources in the community. The argument, although it has already been discussed in the past, should be kept in mind, given that the woman is easily marginalized from the decision-making process in many nations of Asia and Oceania.
Many highly-qualified women wish to serve the Church and make their contribution to society and politics, however they often do not find the opportunities to do so, for the lack of equal opportunity. That is why today there are many Asian associations that promote the specific presence and formation of women in the various areas of pastoral activity: catechesis, liturgy, charitable and social work.
The solidarity that exists among these movements is seen in the contributions from the Korean Catholic women's associations to countries like Fiji, India, and Indonesia, in order to finance development and educational projects for rural women.
The Convention also highlighted the need to form a network among Catholic women in Asia and Oceania, in order to better value the “feminine genius,” that unique characteristic of the woman, so that it may be more appreciated in the life of the Church and society. (PA) (Agenzia Fides 5/11/2008)
