Sister Shalini Mulackal PBVM | India

“My wish for women in the Catholic Church is that women no longer be treated as consumers of a spiritual banquet exclusively prepared by celibate male hands and out of celibate male experiences and interpretations of faith and life. I eagerly wait for the day when women and men together prepare this banquet with their diverse experiences of God and thus give concrete expression to their equal discipleship in the Church and to equal membership in the Mystical body of Christ. I’m no longer staying silent about the way patriarchal values, attitudes and worldview has entered the Sacred Scripture and how these in turn reinforce patriarchal mindset in men and women down the ages. I’m sharing this because as a follower of Christ I am called to enhance the Reign of God which Jesus inaugurated through His life, death and resurrection. Struggle for freedom, fellowship, equality and justice, especially for women who are denied of these in multiple ways in our church and society becomes an urgent task of the Reign of God. Creating awareness is the first step towards building a transformed Church and Society.”