Catholic women face common issues across Asia, the Pacific

New Zealanders were among those at an Asia-Pacific regional Catholic women’s conference for spiritual growth and connection in Sydney this month. There were 113 women and three men at the World Union of Catholic Women’s Organisation (WUCWO) Asia Pacific Regional Conference in North Sydney.

Country reports – from Fiji, Korea, India, Philippines, Lebanon, New Zealand, Indonesia, Japan and Australia – highlighted both the diversity and the common challenges faced by women in the region, including domestic violence, homelessness, migration and ecological concerns.

The conference opened with a Mass at the St Mary MacKillop Chapel, followed by words of welcome from Ann Pereira, president of Catholic Women’s League Australia, and Mónica Santamarina, WUCWO president general. Over the three days, participants reflected, prayed and shared experiences through reports from different countries, keynote presentations and moments of synodal dialogue.

Guest speakers included Margaret Hagen, who spoke on the “Call to Ecological Conversion”; Helen Forde, CEO of Jesuit Mission Australia, on the “Global Food Crisis”; and Sonia Di Mezza, CEO of Migrant and Refugee Settlement Services, who addressed “Building the Future with Migrants and Refugees”. Dr Deirdre Little also gave a presentation on bioethics and seasonal workers.

On the final day, participants engaged in Conversations in the Spirit, panel discussions and business sessions, as well as new resolutions for WUCWO.

Karen de Sousa, WUCWO board member from Australia, said: “The last day, we started with our Conversations in the Spirit . . . so blessed to have been able to facilitate this synodal learning with these WUCWO women. Whilst there were obviously differences in the most challenging issues women face in their own countries and communities, there was also common ground such as domestic violence, homelessness and so on. . . .”

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WUCWO Asia Pacific Regional Conference in Sydney