VI International Diploma in Social Doctrine of the Church

How does Mary speak to women today? Is it an icon to follow? These questions and many others were answered by Fr. Alexandre Awi Mello, Secretary of the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life, during the inaugural opening of the VI International Diploma in Social Doctrine of the Church: women in public life (11- 25 July 2020). In his speech, Fr. Awi Mello wanted to 'narrate' the figure of the Mother of the Church starting from the Marian thought of Pope Francis. 

“The Mariology of Pope Francis”, the Secretary underlined, “could well be described as an applied Mariology: applied to the experience of life and faith of individuals and of the whole Christian people; an authentic popular Marian spirituality with theological foundations. From this, the concept of a Church with Marian attitudes arises, a Church that assumes a 'style' of Marian evangelization, a Marian pedagogy of evangelization ". 

In this Mariological context, concluded Fr. Awi Mello, the figure of the woman is inserted who bears the features of Mary and, therefore, offers feminine characteristics to the Church and to the society in which she lives and works. The role of women in the Church is not only related to the sphere of motherhood, reception, but it is stronger. The woman, like Mary, helps the Church to grow and - according to what Pope Francis affirms - only a deepening of the theology of women will be able to make the Church discover the value, still not fully revealed, of women within the family, society, ecclesiastical institutions. 

The diploma, organized by the Latin American Academy of Catholic Leaders, saw the participation in the virtual classroom of about 500 students and more than 700 people connected in live streaming and among the speakers there were important professors and experts in the social doctrine of the Church.