In his letter to Galatians, St Paul wrote: “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.” This verse reminds us that, regardless of gender, creed or race, we are all equal in the eyes of God.
Despite Bible verses promoting justice and equality, the Church has traditionally been a man’s world.
Christian faith has never been limited to one gender but it is no secret that positions of leadership have been attached to men.
But both women and men have the ability to be powerful voices in the Church. At home and overseas, the Church made strides in ensuring women are represented.
Pope Francis has openly advocated for women to be fully included in the decision-making processes of the Church.
Recently, he took a bold step in appointing a woman in the highest-ever Vatican post.
As undersecretary of the synod of bishops, Nathalie Becuquart will have voting rights and will have a significant voice in leading the Church’s teachings. The synod’s role is to advise the Holy See on many controversial topics such as divorce.
The Maltese secretary general of the synod, Cardinal Mario Grech said the pope wanted women to have a greater participation in the discernment of Catholic teaching.
The pope also went on to make Italian lawyer, Francesca Di Giovanni the first woman to hold a management position in one of the Vatican’s most important offices. She is now in charge of coordinating the Church’s relationships with multilateral organisations like the United Nations. Likewise in Malta, Archbishop Charles Scicluna appointed Nadine Delicata as the episcopal delegate for evangelisation, a role traditionally held by a member of the clergy.
There are many women in leadership roles within the Catholic Church in Malta. They may not be priests or bishops but they still have essential roles within various Church-run organisations. They lead by example and exemplify biblical leadership by offering their time and talent to promote social justice.
Pope Francis has openly advocated for women to be fully included in the decision-making processes of the Church- Yvonne Mallia
As its first ever female director, I recognise that empowering women is a crucial part of my job. Fondazzjoni Sebħ manages four residential homes that take care of around 40 children, offering them a safe, loving and nurturing environment. We also support families in need through our Community Prevention Team in Ħamrun and Marsa.
Fondazzjoni Sebħ empowers vulnerable women to make a difference. For the first time in Malta, Fondazzjoni Sebħ had established a second-stage shelter for women who were survivors of domestic violence. This shelter focuses on giving women the necessary tools to participate in society.
We assist women in our centres to become emotionally and financially independent. We support them to recover after they struggled in abuse. We dismantle patriarchal notions that made them dependant on others for their financial well-being.
Young girls and boys are also taught the value of gender equality. In our four homes, we work with community stakeholders to ensure all children reach their full potential. We fully believe that children should be allowed to build their own future and we actively promote this by allowing children to play a main role in the decision-making process.
As president emeritus Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca said, we need to empower our girls and our boys to be activists for the much-needed positive change in our societies. In an address as part of the Mary McAleese Women in Leadership Lecture Series at Dublin City University, she stressed that “we need our girls and women to equally join forces with men and boys in the leadership of our communities and societies”.
Pope Francis had also declared: “We don’t allow room for women but women are capable of seeing things with a different angle from us, with a different eye. Women are able to pose questions that we men are not able to understand.”
Despite the advancements, there is still room for improvement and, thus, it is necessary for the Church to continue striving to give women a voice and ensure female representation across its structures.
Thus, as we continue celebrating Women’s Day, we should do our best to make sure that our female leaders are represented everywhere, even within our faith.
Yvonne Mallia, director, Fondazzjoni Sebħ.