AFRICA - Women, milestone of the Church in Africa

Kara (Agenzia Fides) - "One thing that cannot be ignored, when we speak of the African Church, is that, if the Holy Spirit is the invisible force of the Church of Africa, women, without a doubt, are the tangible force. Women are more numerous, have more courage, are more dynamic, more active and sometimes more competent. Without women, our churches in Africa would almost be empty, both as a presence and as a force": this is what Fr. Donald Zagore, of the Society of African Missions, said in a conversation with Agenzia Fides on the occasion of Women's Day.
"In the imagination of the cultural and political structure of African society itself, women, despite the vital force they represent, are continually relegated to the background. Male power still imposes its legendary supremacy. Don’t you think it is about time to look further and to involve women more in the Church's leadership?", emphasizes the priest.
Fr. Zagore observes that "without giving in to radical and atheistic feminism, which today has become a champion of unbridled humanity, which intends to abolish gender differences, it is advisable to invite women to take on more responsibility for the management of ecclesial life. To reach this level, one should simply re-invent the theology of women". This theological reflection, he suggests, "should take its origin starting above all from Marian theology. In Mary, Mother of God, Mother of the Church, she is the woman who in her very being continues to bring the Church into her womb with her spiritual and material dynamism".
From another point of view, continues Father Donald, Africa has the "Church Family of God as its ecclesiological model: it is a blessing from heaven sent to make women even more committed, since women remain the lung of the family in the African culture. Without women, the family collapses. The Church of Africa would certainly gain a lot by opening her arms to women". (DZ/AP) (Agenzia Fides, 9/3/2018)

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