Church: Welcome Women's Gifts and Full Participation

WCC

Christian leaders from varies church bodies have promised to welcome the gifts of women fully into the life of the churches, as 28 women and men gathered at the Monastero di Bose in northern Italy from Oct. 3 to 7 in a consultation with the theme "Ecumenical Perspective on the Role of Women in the Churches".

In the conference that explored the role of women in churches, participants centered their talk on key questions such as: "What have been the effects of the (non) ordination of women for the ecumenical movement? What fresh challenges do we see in a context vastly different from the 1980s?"

The role of women in the churches differ, however, there is a common ground to welcoming the gifts of women wholly into the life of the churches. According to World Council of Churches (WCC), participants acknowledged the role of women and their gifts in churches. They also said without these gifts, the life of the churches could not have sustained, especially through trials and tribulations.

The event was jointly organized by WCC Just Community of Women and Men program and the WCC Commission on Faith and Order.

Participants include church leaders and active members from Christian traditions including Anglican, Baptist, Disciples of Christ, Lutheran, Mennonite, Methodist, Orthodox (Eastern and Oriental), Pentecostal, Reformed and Roman Catholic. Representatives of regional ecumenical organizations including the All Africa Conference of Churches, Caribbean Conference of Churches, Consejo Latinoamericano de Iglesias, Middle East Council of Churches, National Council of Churches in India, and Conference of European Churches also attended the consultation.