Interview with Head of the Regina Apostolorum College in Rome
Rome (Fides Service) - "The time has come for the vocation of women to be fulfilled, the hour in which women acquire influence, importance, and power as never before. Today as the world is undergoing such changes, women filled with the spirit of the Gospel can help humanity not to decay". This is the opinion of Christina Zucconi, directress of the Regina Apostolorum College in Rome.
Why have an institute for studies about women?
The idea of the Institute stems from a need to rediscover social and cultural values lost in history or impaired by feminists and role models of our times, roles of every day life. It is necessary to rediscover the true identity of women and their specific ability to render society and culture more human, to diffuse a new understanding of feminism that defends the rights of women without destroying their special value and qualities. Our aim is to transform feminist thinking into Christian feminist thinking in which men and women are partners who complement each other in reciprocity.
How do you intend to do this?
First of all through education of women, since they, the first educators of society, are today fully inserted in every social and political environment; to inform them of their dignity, their mission to enable them to make their contribution and work with men to build a more human society. The specific subject of our studies is that women have a vocation to render society more human.
How is the College organised?
The Institute has three areas: research; social/cultural; teaching. Besides research, we organise seminars, conferences, congresses on themes concerning women from all positions of view, social, political economic, cultural. Moreover as from October this year we will be able to offer a Masters on Women and Society which will deal with the situation of women in the world involved in all the aspects and situations of daily life.
We heard that you are planning a meeting on Sexuality and Self Esteem
Yes we are preparing an International Congress on this subject for March 8. We hope that the activity of our institute will serve to increase the influence and presence of women today in every sector of society. By nature women are creative and they hand on culture. They have great dignity and vocation. (Fides Service 17/1/2003)