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Press Release: International Women's Day: "No Woman, No Church" VIDEO
Colm Holmes • 4 March 2021
A Prayer for the full Equality of Women in the Catholic Church
Press Release
International Women’s Day: “No Woman, No Church”
3 March 2021
To celebrate International Women’s Day we offer a Prayer for the full Equality of Women in the Catholic Church.
14 prophetic women from around the world proclaim 14 Stations of the Cross. Jesus treated women and men as equals. Yet our patriarchal church is spiritually crucifying women and refuses to acknowledge their God given full equality and dignity. We welcome the direction for reform which Pope Francis has indicated, but deplore that only very small steps have been taken so far.
• Women are created in the image of God
• Women are baptised & confirmed
• Women are leaders
The Corona Pandemic has further confirmed the leadership of women.
“No Woman, No Church” is ringing out loud and clear.
Colm Holmes
Chair, We Are Church International
E colmholmes2020@gmail.com
M +353 86 606 3636
W www.we-are-church.org
We Are Church International (WAC) founded in Rome in 1996, is a global coalition of national church reform groups. It is committed to the renewal of the Roman Catholic Church based on the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965) and the theological spirit developed from it.
The patriarchal church is spiritually crucifying women:
Jesus treated women and men as equals
Station 1: Rachael Alphonso (India)
Mary held the infant Jesus in her arms and said: “This is my body, this is my blood”
Station 2: Rocío Figueroa (New Zealand & Peru)
At the Wedding feast of Cana Mary told Jesus: “They have no wine”. And Jesus turned the water into wine.
Station 3: Nontando Hadebe (South Africa & Zimbabwe)
A group of women were also disciples of Jesus and followed him and provided for him out of their own resources.
Station 4: Martha Heizer (Austria)
Martha said to Jesus: “I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one who was to come into this world.”
Station 5: Kate McElwee (Italy & USA)
At the Last Supper Jesus told his disciples to “Do this in memory of me”. That was for the women as well as for the men.
Station 6: Cristina Lledo Gomez (Australia & Philippines)
The women gathered at the foot of the cross when all the men ran away.
Station 7: Miriam Duignan (UK & Ireland)
Mary of Magdala was the first witness to the risen Christ. She was the Apostle to the apostles.
Station 8: Kay Mulhall (Ireland)
At Pentecost the Holy Spirit descended on all the disciples, the women as well as the men.
Station 9: Jacqueline Straub (Switzerland & Germany)
For centuries women have led Christian communities and presided at Eucharists.
Station 10: Christina Reymer (New Zealand)
St Joan of Arc was burnt at the stake for wearing men’s clothes.
Station 11: Deborah Rose-Milavec (USA)
St Thérèse of Lisieux is the Patron Saint of Women Priests. St Thérèse believed she would die before the age of 25, the age when men were ordained to the priesthood. Of course, she did die before the age of 25. St Thérèse believed she was called to the priesthood.
Station 12: Paula Lazzarini (Italy)
Today women are still excluded from church language in liturgy and papal and conciliar documents. They remain invisible.
Station 13: Virginia Saldanha (India)
Today women are still excluded from decision-making roles in the church. Men in the church continue to dictate their familial and personal lives.
Station 14: Penelope Middleboe (UK)
Domestic violence remains one of the largest issues for women all over the world because women are seen as secondary to men as modeled by church practices.
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We Are Church Ireland
C/O 49 Rockfield Avenue,
Perrystown,
Dublin 12.
D12H6F6
Ireland