Chilean bishop praises women for contribution to Church and humanity

Santiago, Chile, Mar 8, 2006 / 22:00 pm

On the occasion of International Women’s Day on Wednesday, the president of the Bishops’ Conference of Chile, Bishop Alejandro Goic, sent a special greeting to the women of that country and thanked God for “the marvels that God has done in women and through their intervention in the history of humanity and of our country.”

After echoing the words of Pope John Paul II that the greatest event of humanity, the Incarnation of the Word, was done in and through a woman, the Chilean bishop said, “The Church gives thanks for each and every woman.”

“For mothers, young women and for grandmothers as well; for wives; for those consecrated to God; for so many women dedicated to serving those who thirst for love; for the women who care for others in the family, which is the heart of the human community; for women who work and are often tasked with great social responsibilities.  All of them assume, together with men, the common responsibility for the destiny of humanity,” said Bishop Goic.

He also expressed the Church’s gratitude for “all of the manifestations of the feminine genius and for the charisms the Holy Spirit bestows on women; for all of the virtues and gifts which we owe to their faith, their hope and their capacity to love, to welcome, and to serve others; for all of the fruits of feminine sanctity.”

Lastly, the bishop prayed to God that “these manifestations be duly recognized and valued, so that they might bear fruit for women, the Church and humanity, especially in our days.”