“Having a woman on a Commission that advises the Pope on the appointment of Bishops is something that has never been heard of in the history of the Church,” Sr. Leonida Katunge, an Advocate of the High Court of Kenya said in the Thursday, March 9 interview with ACI Africa.
Sr. Katunge added, “Again, positions on the Synod of Bishops have always been held by either the Bishops themselves or Priests, but never a woman.”
“Pope Francis is amplifying the voice of women, especially women Religious. This means a lot to us. Pope Francis looks at qualifications beyond gender, to break the masculine culture that has been in the Church for a long time,” the member of the Sisters of St. Joseph of the Catholic Archdiocese of Mombasa in Kenya (SSJ Mombasa) said.
Pope Francis has also launched the Synod on Synodality which, according to Sr. Katunge who makes reference to the Document for the Continental Stage (DCS), has brought to the fore the position of women Religious in the Church.
“The Synod on Synodality working Document for the Continental Stage (DCS) mentions the roles of Religious Sisters in the health sector, and education sector, in reaching out to the vulnerable,” she said.
The Catholic Nun who headed the national steering committee for Kenyan participants in the dialogue between Pope Francis and the African youths further said, “During my encounter with the Holy Father, I felt his closeness; I felt listened to as a woman.”
Sr. Katunge lauded the Holy Father for his all-inclusive leadership style, saying, “Pope Francis has everyone on board. We talk about a Church where women, children, the youth, and men, are all included. And he always has a message for each of these groups. He would go to prisoners and have a message for them, go to children and have a word for them.”
Pope Francis’ Synod on Synodality, the Catholic Nun who is a practicing Advocate of the High Court of Kenya and majors on property law and family law says, has also been a game changer in the Church, and has been embraced “even by non-Catholics.”
“The Synod on Synodality is about journeying together as brothers and sisters. Pope Francis is not saying that Bishops should lower themselves. He is not doing away with Clericalism. It is about each one of us sticking to our lanes, but still feeling that we belong, and our voices are heard,” Sr. Katunge says.
The Kenyan Nun who cordinates the African Digital Youth Influencers under Pan-African Catholic Theology and Pastoral Network (PACTPAN) in collaboration with the Rome-based Dicastery for Communications, urges those in power to heed the message of the journey of Synodality of inclusiveness, where Religious Sisters will continue to be given a voice.
