On Thursday 7 March, Caritas Internationalis will publish, Equality, Encounter, Renewal: A Caritas commitment to women’s leadership and participation, based on the Holy Scriptures and Catholic Social Teaching values and principles.
This is a booklet which aims to increase understanding about the Church’s teachings in relation to women’s leadership, and to accompany and facilitate dialogue, cooperation and collaboration between Member Organisations and other key stakeholders on the subject of women’s leadership. The exploration of scriptural and social teachings in the booklet is accompanied by over 35 testimonies, stories, experiences and examples of good practices from all seven regions of the Caritas Confederation among which are examples of how women contribute to community life, policies for strengthening women’s leadership and participation, and success stories of women’s empowerment projects.
This is a resource for Caritas staff and volunteers, the local Church and communities, and other stakeholders who are working to strengthen women’s equal participation in society, and who we hope to inspire by the examples of actions, projects, programmes and policies which make evident the role which faith-based organisations can play in the empowerment of women.
Why has Caritas produced Equality, Encounter, Renewal?
Caritas Internationalis has produced Equality, Encounter, Renewal to strengthen individual, organisational, institutional and community understanding about the Church’s social and scriptural teachings which support women’s leadership and participation in decision making. Through this, the purpose of the booklet is also to show how the commitment, participation and leadership of women can be transformative for society as a whole.
This was one of the key recommendations following consultations with Caritas offices in all continents which established that there was a need to produce a resource which explains the ways in which the Church’s teachings support and promote women’s leadership and participation, in order to support and strengthen work with local Churches, external stakeholders and communities to eliminate the social and structural barriers which limit women and girls, and to empower women at all levels to take their rightful place in leadership and decision making spaces.
This is a moment of opportunity for the Confederation and wider society to open the door to more women’s leadership and participation so that, piece by piece, we can build a better future for all people, together.
Key objectives
- Demonstrate Caritas’s commitment to strengthening women’s leadership and participation within the framework of Catholic Social Teaching.
- Increase understanding of women’s leadership and participation as a core part of the Catholic identity of Caritas.
- Raise the voices of women and men from the grassroots who are working for equality as an intrinsic part of strengthening humanitarian, institutional and development programmes.
- Raise awareness and open dialogue about the social and institutional barriers women face, within Caritas and in specific regional and local contexts.
- Create pathways, programmes and policies which promote and strengthen personal and professional development of staff, HR management, organisational accountability.
- Promote whole organisation approaches to equality, and mainstream women’s perspectives, experiences and expertise into all areas of work.
- Use the booklet as a tool for enhancing local leadership and effective partnership.
- Seek dialogue and collaboration with local Bishops’ Conferences and faith leaders to strengthen relationships, understanding, dialogue and support for initiatives promoting women’s leadership.
- Seek engagement and inspire, animate and mobilise local action at diocesan and parish level.
What can we find inside?
- Spirituality and human stories
Reflecting on Jesus’s example and the Church’s scriptural and social teachings can help us to increase understanding of the spirituality of women’s active presence and participation at all levels of society, and can offer a theological basis for action to bring about change and progress in the creation of equal opportunities for women and men in Caritas, the Confederation, the Church and communities.
‘I have seen faces full of hope, women who are overcoming racism, discrimination, sexism and other challenges every day. … Our struggle must be inclusive, encompassing the different realities of women regardless of their religion, their colour, their culture.’
Sister Ruperta Palacios Silva, Carmelite Missionary of Santa Teresa, Mexico; Secretary of the Afro-Mexican Pastoral in Cáritas Mexicana
- Good practices
The booklet contains more than 35 good practices from around the Confederation to show how to put the Church’s teaching on women’s leadership into action, and to inspire Regions, Member Organisations, the local Church, communities, and other humanitarian and development actors wishing to promote the inclusion of women in leadership and decision-making. These good practices include: programmes and projects which empower women; policies ensuring organisational accountability; policies promoting equality, inclusion and equal opportunities; engagement with men and faith leaders, and more.
‘We know that genuine equality requires systemic change to create a world in which all people’s gifts can be recognised and respected. That is why most of our Caritas Oceania members have programmes focusing on women’s leadership in our local communities; and why we continue to prioritise the voices of women and girls in our collective regional advocacy.’
Kirsty Robertson (CEO, Caritas Australia; Vice President, CI), Mavis Tito (National Director, Caritas Papua New Guinea), Suliana Falemaka (National Director, Caritas Tonga), Sophie Jenkins (Strategy and Performance Associate Director, Caritas Australia)
- Recommendations
The booklet includes recommendations for actions and ways in which Caritas and other key actors can promote equality and equity between men and women, engage in dialogue and listening, and create opportunities and remove barriers women are facing to leadership and decision making at all levels.
‘Change doesn’t happen without intention, and so we need vision, planning, measurement and accountability.’
Caoimhe de Barra, Chief Executive Officer, Trócaire; President, CIDSE
Download the Booklet in