VATICAN - Benedict XVI in Angola (15) - To the movements for the promotion of women: “ Church and society have been - and continue to be - enormously enriched by the presence and virtues of women.”

Luanda (Agenzia Fides) – On the afternoon of Sunday, March 22, the Holy Father Benedict XVI met with Catholic movements for the promotion of women in Saint Anthony Parish in Luanda. “I extend greetings of great affection and hope to all women, to whom God has entrusted the wellsprings of life: I invite you to live and to put your trust in life, because the living God has put his trust in you!” the Pontiff said in his speech, exhorting all to “an effective awareness of the adverse conditions to which many women have been – and continue to be – subjected, paying particular attention to ways in which the behavior and attitudes of men, who at times show a lack of sensitivity and responsibility, may be to blame.”
Benedict XVI then recalled the Creation account: “the divine Creator, looking upon all he had made, saw that something was missing: everything would have been fine if man had not been alone!...We must therefore recognize, affirm and defend the equal dignity of man and woman: they are both persons, utterly unique among all the living beings found in the world. Man and woman are both called to live in profound communion through a reciprocal recognition of one another and the mutual gift of themselves, working together for the common good through the complementary aspects of masculinity and femininity... In a world like ours, dominated by technology, we feel the need for this feminine complementarity, so that the human race can live in the world without completely losing its humanity. Think of all the places afflicted by great poverty or devastated by war, and of all the tragic situations resulting from migrations, forced or otherwise. It is almost always women who manage to preserve human dignity, to defend the family and to protect cultural and religious values.”
Continuing on with his address, the Holy Father recalled that “history records almost exclusively the accomplishments of men, when in fact much of it is due to the determined, unrelenting and charitable action of women.” Among “all the many extraordinary women,” he named two: Teresa Gomes and Maria Bonino. The first, an Angolan woman, died in 2004 in the city of Sumbe after a happily married life in which she gave birth to seven children. “she was a woman of unswerving Christian faith and exemplary apostolic zeal. This was particularly evident during the years 1975 and 1976 when fierce ideological and political propaganda invaded the parish of Our Lady of Grace of Porto Amboim, almost forcing the doors of the church to close. Teresa then became the leader of the faithful who refused to bend under pressure...Her love for the Church made her indefatigable in the work of evangelization, under the direction of the priests.” Maria Bonino, an Italian paediatrician who worked as a volunteer in various missions in Africa, was the head of the paediatric ward in the provincial hospital at Uíje during the last two years of her life. “Caring for the daily needs of thousands of children who were patients there, Maria paid the ultimate price for her service by sacrificing her life during the terrible epidemic of Marburg Haemorrhagic Fever, to which she herself succumbed. She was transferred to Luanda for treatment, but she died and was laid to rest here on 24 March 2005.” “Church and society have been – and continue to be – enormously enriched by the presence and virtues of women, and in a particular way by consecrated religious who, relying on the Lord’s grace, have placed themselves at the service of others.”
The Holy Father then mentioned the full right of women, “since their dignity is equal to that of men,” to become actively involved in all areas of public life without detracting from their “unique role within the family.” “The presence of a mother within the family is so important for the stability and growth of this fundamental cell of society, that it should be recognized, commended and supported in every possible way. For the same reason, society must hold husbands and fathers accountable for their responsibilities towards their families.”
Then, addressing all families, the Holy Father reminded them that “no human couple, alone and on its own strength, can adequately offer children love and a genuine understanding of life...For this reason, the building up of every Christian family takes place within the larger family, the Church, which sustains the domestic family and holds it close to her heart, giving it the assurance that it is protected, now and in the future, by the 'yes' of the Creator.”
Recalling the words of the Virgin Mary at the wedding at Cana, the Holy Father concluded his address by inviting Angolan women to take her as their Advocate before the Lord: “If we stay close to her, we can all – men and women alike – recover that sense of serenity and deep trust that makes us feel blessed by God and undaunted in our struggle for life. (S.L.) (Agenzia Fides 24/3/2009)