From African Women Theologians Conference II – What Other Speakers Presented.
Prof. Myriam Wijlens Calls for a Baptismal Vision of the Church
Prof. Myriam Wijlens, a leading canon lawyer and member of the Vatican’s Commission for the Revision of Canon Law, delivered a powerful presentation during the African Women Theologians Conference at Hekima University College, calling for a renewed understanding of the Church grounded in the principle of baptismal equality.
Speaking during her first visit to Africa, Prof. Wijlens described the Synod on Synodality as a historic moment in the Church’s journey — one that moves the Church “from hierarchy to communion.” She reminded participants that through baptism, all the faithful — women and men alike — share equally in Christ’s mission.
Tracing the evolution of canon law, she highlighted how the Church has increasingly recognized women’s participation in governance, from serving as judges in marriage tribunals to holding leadership positions in the Vatican. These developments, she said, are rooted not in privilege but in baptismal identity.
“The issue is not theology or law,” she noted. “It is fear — fear of losing control. But what comes from the Holy Spirit cannot be stopped.”
Prof. Wijlens urged African theologians and bishops to continue developing synodal and inclusive leadership, forming communities where authority is exercised through service and dialogue. Her message echoed the conference’s spirit — that theology must be lived, and the Church must walk together as one body of Christ.
Prof. Ngalula Reflects on the Synodal Church through an African Woman’s Lens
Prof. Josee Ngalula, a renowned Congolese theologian and member of the International Theological Commission, delivered a deeply engaging presentation on “Women, Synodality, and the Church in Africa.” Drawing from her theological expertise and pastoral experience, she invited participants to view the Synodal process not as a project but as a spiritual journey of communion, participation, and mission.
Prof. Ngalula affirmed that synodality is at the heart of the Gospel, reminding the audience that Jesus himself walked with others, listened to them, and discerned with them. She emphasized that the African Church, with its rich culture of community and dialogue, offers fertile ground for living out synodality in authentic and transformative ways.
Highlighting the indispensable role of African women in the life of the Church, she noted that women have always been pillars of faith, reconciliation, and resilience, especially in times of crisis. Yet, their contributions often remain unacknowledged. “Women’s presence in the Church is not supplementary,” she said. “It is constitutive of the Church’s life and mission.”
Prof. Ngalula challenged theologians to create spaces for women’s voices in theological reflection, ecclesial structures, and decision-making. She called for renewed formation programs that prepare both men and women to lead together in a spirit of mutual respect and shared responsibility.
In her closing words, she urged African women theologians to continue articulating theology from within their own contexts, drawing on African wisdom, lived experiences, and faith in action. “The Synodal Church we seek,” she concluded, “must be one where everyone — women and men, clergy and laity — walk side by side, discerning the Spirit’s call for our continent and our world.”
Prof. Lisa Sowle Cahill Urges True Solidarity to Bring Synodality to Life
Prof. Lisa Sowle Cahill, a distinguished moral theologian from Boston College, delivered a thought-provoking presentation emphasizing that synodality without solidarity remains an empty framework. Returning for the second consecutive African Women Theologians Conference at Hekima, she praised the “rich exchange of ideas and heartfelt dialogue,” describing the gathering as a space of authentic theological growth.
Drawing on insights from earlier presentations by Prof. Myriam Wijlens and Sr. Jacinta, Prof. Cahill highlighted a recurring issue: although canon law and Church documents have opened many doors for women and lay participation, these permissions often remain unimplemented. She attributed this to “bureaucratic, patriarchal systems” that resist genuine equality and transformation.
Prof. Cahill argued that solidarity — not merely synodality — must be the driving force of renewal in the Church. Citing Pope Francis, she called for a Church that listens deeply, acts decisively, and turns synodal words into deeds. “Hearing is one thing,” she said. “Listening requires personal investment and reciprocity.”
Her presentation connected the Church’s struggle for gender equality with broader social injustices, pointing to the global culture of minimization and disrespect for women — from educational institutions to families and parishes. She linked this culture to the persistence of sexual abuse, impunity, and gender-based discrimination, stressing that “disrespect and abuse feed off each other.”
Reflecting on her own five decades in academia, Prof. Cahill shared personal experiences of gender bias and exclusion, recalling how women theologians were once limited to writing on “women’s issues.” Yet, she also celebrated progress, noting that increased women’s education, solidarity, and activism have gradually transformed institutions like Boston College.
In her conclusion, Prof. Cahill outlined three essential pathways for building solidarity and advancing women’s dignity in the Church and society:
- Leadership Accountability – Church and academic leaders must prioritize women’s protection and inclusion, even when facing resistance.
- Women’s Education and Organization – Broader access to education and strong women’s networks are vital for long-term change.
- Economic Empowerment – Women’s social and financial independence, she said, is key to ending cycles of violence and marginalization.
“Synodality gives us a map,” she concluded, “but solidarity gives us movement. The future of the Church depends on our courage to journey together — women and men — in mutual respect, shared responsibility, and love.”
Dr. Jacinta Opondo Calls for Conversion of Mindset and Reform of Formation Systems
Dr. Jacinta Opondo, Deputy Principal for Academic Affairs at Hekima University College, delivered a compelling and insightful presentation titled “Canon Law: Sine Qua Non for Synodal Cohesion Towards Truth, Justice, and Mercy.” Drawing on her expertise in canon law and education, she explored the vital relationship between canon law and synodality, arguing that one cannot exist meaningfully without the other.
Dr. Opondo began by addressing two recurring questions: Do we need a synodal Church or a system of canon law? And what needs to be reviewed in canon law to meet the needs of a synodal Church? She affirmed that canon law is essential — a sine qua non — for journeying together in truth, justice, and mercy. Far from being a rigid or oppressive system, she described canon law as the framework that ensures order, protects rights, fosters justice, and upholds the Church’s mission of salvation.
“Theology gives the Church vision,” she said, “but canon law gives it structure, tools, and action.” She emphasized that law and synodality are complementary, and that canon law already provides for collaboration and participation — although these structures are often not fully implemented.
However, Dr. Opondo warned that the greatest obstacle to genuine synodality is not the law itself but the mindset shaped by systemic patriarchy. She described patriarchy as a “hidden curriculum” perpetuated in families, schools, and formation houses, which replaces true formation with pseudo-formation. This pseudo-formation, she explained, produces leaders and ministers who are “giants in theory but dwarfs in practice” — individuals well-trained in rules but lacking the depth of authentic relational and spiritual maturity needed for collaborative ministry.
She called for a conversion of heart and mind (novus habitus mentis) — an openness to the Spirit that can dismantle entrenched patriarchal systems and promote a culture of equality rooted in baptismal dignity.
Highlighting the critical role of women, Dr. Opondo urged them to become protagonists in eliminating pseudo-formation and systemic patriarchy by:
- Forming children early with values of equality and justice;
- Promoting holistic formation beyond academic instruction;
- Researching to challenge patriarchal beliefs; and
- Advocating for the implementation of canonical provisions that support collaboration and participation.
“Women,” she concluded, “have both the responsibility and the power to reshape the Church’s future — not by rejecting canon law, but by living it fully as a tool of truth, justice, and mercy in a synodal Church.”
Prof. Susan Abraham: “There Is No Synodality without Eros”
With her trademark wit and intellectual boldness, Prof. Susan Abraham captivated participants with a provocative and deeply theological presentation titled “Eros and Synodality: The Role of Embodiment in the Life of the Church” — or, as she playfully offered, “Sex and Synodality.”
Prof. Abraham, a feminist theologian and scholar of postcolonial theology, began by disarming her audience with humor and candor, declaring, “There is no synodality without sex!” Beneath the laughter, however, lay a profound argument: that synodality — the Church’s way of walking together — is impossible without the animating grace of eros, that divine, life-giving energy of love and desire.
Drawing inspiration from Pope Francis’s image of the tango as a symbol of erotic and relational love, Prof. Abraham invited the audience to imagine synodality as a dance — one that requires constant presence, mutual responsiveness, and embodied participation. She also turned to Pope Benedict XVI’s encyclical Deus Caritas Est to trace the theological continuity between eros (human love) and agape (divine love), affirming that eros is not the enemy of holiness but God’s own ecstatic energy in creation.
Her thesis was clear: “Synodality is impossible without the animating grace of eros.” To walk together meaningfully as Church, she argued, requires not abstract discussions but embodied love — a willingness to “breathe in the odor of sanctity in each body we encounter.”
From a feminist perspective, Prof. Abraham explored the concept of “baptizing eros” as proposed by theologian Tina Beattie, who calls for reclaiming eros from its pornographic and consumerist distortions. Yet Abraham pushed further, asking daringly, “What if eros itself baptizes?” In other words, could love — in its embodied, relational, and creative force — be the source of renewal for the Church?
She also reflected on Mary’s Magnificat and Hannah’s song as biblical examples of inversion, where the lowly are raised up — suggesting that women’s perspectives offer a transformative reimagining of power and participation in the Church.
Prof. Abraham concluded by challenging theologians to see eros not merely as desire or sexuality, but as the very energy that sustains communion, compassion, and creativity. “To live synodally,” she said, “is to live erotically — fully awake to the other, to the body, and to God.”
Her presentation left the audience deeply moved — a daring reminder that the heart of the Church’s journey together lies not in rules or roles, but in love that is embodied, relational, and alive.
