Sister Inigo Joachim SSA | India

“My wish for women in the Catholic Church is: As images of God, they should assert and claim their God-given rights and abilities and acknowledge that they deserve to live in dignity. Everyone in the Church should be convinced that both, men and women, have an equal share in the liberation brought about by Jesus even though their roles may be different. Fratelli Tutti: “We are all brothers and sisters”. I am no longer staying silent about women being treated as sexual objects, second-class citizens or just maids or non-entities nor accept ‘just do what I say’ attitude. They should refuse to be the silent and silenced half in the Church. We should fight against the culture of silence in this matter. It should be announced from the pulpit that discrimination and violence against women is sinful. On any account, let them not play with the sacramental life, seeking to punish women religious by refusing to celebrate Mass due to some personal conflicts. I am sharing this because gender sensitivity is not a woman question; it is a moral, ethical, spiritual and human question. Therefore church authorities should invest in women's formation at various levels. Dioceses should train and empower women for canonical and judiciary undertakings, marriage and family counselling and leadership training.”