KOTTAYAM: In the history of Church, it is for the first time in the state, a joint movement of independent progressive women from various churches in Kerala including Catholic, Protestant and Eastern Churches was inaugurated at a function here on Saturday 23rd.
Christian Women’s Movement (ICWM) was launched at the CSI Retreat Centre, the Kerala unit of the Indian.
The Aim of the forum is to bring Churches together under the banner of ICWM.
The purpose of ICWM is not creating another organization in society but to form a
consensus across boundaries in order to change unjust beliefs, practices and structures that perpetuate patriarchy and accentuate the exploitation of women in the churches and in society at various levels.
ICWM was launched in Pune in 2014, till now the Catholics were not part of this.
The movement has not yet taken an open stand against the male domination in Churches; the forum is keen to take up such issues in future. Though Pope Francis had changed the rules for the church’s traditional foot-washing ceremony on Holy Thursday, issuing a decree allowing women to participate, not all the churches in Kerala has shown the willingness to follow that. Except for Latin Church which made it optional and some Bishops, the rest have refused to accept the Pope’s call.
Also issues like not allowing entry for women for the night sessions in Maramon convention will also come up before the Forum.
