ASIA/TAIWAN - Women's promotion in the Church and society: Asian Ecumenical Women’s Assembly

Friday, 22 November 2019 women   civil society   catholic church   ecumenicalism  

Hsinchu (Agenzia Fides) - All the Churches in Asia must work for equal opportunities and for the promotion of gender equality: this was underlined by the first Asian Ecumenical Women’s Assembly (AEWA) which opened yesterday, November 21st, in Taiwan and underway until November 27th. The event is organized by the Christian Conference of Asia (CCA) and hosted by the Christian Presbyterian Church of Taiwan in Hsinchu, a city in the northwestern part of Taiwan. More than 250 representatives of Christian women, from all over Asia, and Catholic communities, are united on the theme "Arise, and be Awake to Reconcile, Renew and Restore the Creation". "The conference offers a platform to women from various Christian denominations and to women's ecumenical organizations," said CCA general secretary Mathews George Chunakara. "Representatives of Asian Christian women meet at a critical time, while women in many parts of Asia continue to face unprecedented challenges, including discrimination and obstacles regarding gender equality", he added.
"The participation of women in all areas of civil, social and religious life is hampered by laws and cultures in different Asian contexts. The Asian Churches must be made aware to encourage and actively involve women in the Church and in society, to make a contribution to reconciliation and renewal".
According to the coordinators of AEWA, Jung Eun Moon and Rosiana Purnomo, "the Asian Ecumenical Women’s Assembly summit is a unique opportunity to discuss the role of Asian Christian women in the evangelical mission of healing the wounded and being catalysts for reconciliation".
Among the topics covered in the reports, "Taking care of and supporting creation", "Feeding the spirituality and integrity of life", "Participation and solidarity in the struggle for peace with justice", "Ensuring inclusive leadership in the Church and in society" and "Towards the revitalization of the ecumenical movement: the role of the organization of Asian women". For each of the themes, the presence and participation of Asian women is analyzed and promoted.
Before the main event, the participants held a three-day seminar on "Christian women in Asia respond to the challenge and strengthen the fight against AIDS" held from 19 to 21 November. During the forum, experiences and good care practices were presented, as well as assistance for AIDS patients, which could be replicated in other Asian communities. (SD) (Agenzia Fides, 22/11/2019)


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