from Ancy Paladka
for Daijiworld Media Network – Mumbai (SM)
Mumbai, Dec 10: “Women empowerment is not against men but is for wholeness of world and humanity,” said Sr Philomena D'Souza.
She was delivering an orientation speech on ‘Empowerment of women in church and society’, a workshop held for the Western Region Catholic Council (WRCC) comprising fifteen dioceses of Gujrat, Maharashtra and Goa at Bishops house, Vasai here on Saturday December 8 and Sunday December 9.
About 80 members of WRCC participated in the said workshop. Various topic such as all India Catholics education policy implementation lead by bishop Percival Fernandes, women in Gods plan in scripture lead by Sr Ananda, women in Church's social teachings lead by Dr Astrid Lobo Gajiwala, reality chick with testimony from women lead by Sr Philomena D’Souza, state of women in church and society lead by Virginia Saldanha and gender mainstreaming and possibilities for empowerment lead by Sr Helen were discussed.
Sr Marcia D'Cunha presented the reports on workshops. Film on empowerment "Teesra Rastha" too was screened during the occasion.
Sr Philomena said that the feminism is not a herosy. No nature progress if half the population is left behind. Women and men worked with shoulder to shoulder during the early church. Hence women should not be discriminated.
Archbishop Filipe Neri Ferrao, president, WRCC, bishop Edwin Colaco of Aurangabad, secretary, WRCC, bishop Thomas Dabre of Vasai, bishop Percival Fernandes, bishop Bosco Penha, bishop Valerian D'Souza, bishop Agnelo Rufino Gracias, bishop Ferdinand Joseph Fonseca, bishop Gregory Karotemprel, archbishop Stanislaus Fernandes, bishop Thomas Elavanal, bishop Godfrey De Rozario, bishop Vijay Anand Nedumpuram, bishop Thomas Ignas Macwan and cardinal Oswald Gracias were the bihops present on the occasion.
The fifteen dioceses of Western Region are Ahmedabad diocese, Amravati diocese, Aurangabad diocese, Baroda diocese, Bombay archdiocese, Chanda diocese, Gandhinagar archdiocese, Goa and Daman archdiocese, Kalyan diocese, Nagpur archdiocese, Nashik diocese, Pune diocese, Rajkot diocese, Sindhudurg diocese and Vasai diocese.
Bishop Thomas Dabre of Vasai diocese welcomed the gathering. Fr Albert D'Silva, local incharge of the programme spoke on the occasion. Archbishop Filipe Neri Ferrao of Goa and president of WRCC inaugurated the programme. Bishop Edwin Colaco of Aurangabad was present on the dais. Fr Titus D'Costa compered the programme.