Sr. Jecinter Antoinette Okoth, FSSA
As the Church in Africa grows rapidly, one of the co-organizers of the African women theologian conference taking place at Hekima University College (HUC) in Nairobi, Kenya, has disclosed that without women’s voices at the center of the Church’s mission, its growth risks stagnation.
“When women’s voices are silenced, the Church does not grow stronger, it grows weaker,” Sr. Mumbi Kigutha a member of the Sisters of the Precious Blood Sisters (CPPS) said Tuesday, September 2, at the opening of the 2nd African Women Theologians’ Conference. Sr. Kigutha, director of Watawa wa Taa, a forum that fosters dialogue, connection, and mutual support among sisters from different congregations across countries, is co-convening the conference with HUC.
She noted that even though Africa’s Catholic population continues to expand, and currently is making up nearly 20% of the global Church, the lack of formation, customs, and regulations continues to restrict women’s participation in decision-making in many dioceses across the continent.
The synodal journey, she explained, has offered new hope to Catholic women, acknowledging that the Church belongs to all and that discernment must be communal and decision-making collaborative.
Quoting Pope Francis’ reminder of the “female genius,” Sr. Kigutha, who is also the president of Friends in Solidarity, a non-profit that supports development in South Sudan, noted some progress but insisted more must be done.
“He opened a door, and that door leaves us asking: what else is possible?” She paused a concern, referring to the synodal journey that Pope Francis had begun.
Addressing participants from various parts of the continent in her opening remarks, the Nun pointed out that the gathering is to enhance women’s role in creating space for the marginalized, modelling leadership marked by listening, collaboration, and inclusivity.
She disclosed that African women are already leading grassroots initiatives that heal communities and nurture life, even if their contributions often go unnoticed.