Anglican Communion News Service - Digest News

Under the auspices of the Rt. Rev. Suheil Dawani, Bishop Coadjutor, and his wife Shafiqa Dawani, a further meeting discussing the empowerment of women within the Diocese of Jerusalem was held on January the 19th. 150 women from all over the Diocese participated in this major event.

This was the second of altogether three meetings to be held in preparation of a General Convention scheduled for autumn 2007, to which all partners of the Diocese from the Middle East, the USA, Australia, New Zealand, Germany and the UK are cordially invited.

The third meeting will be held in Amman, Jordan, on February 16th.

The empowerment of women is an essential part of the future ministry of Bishop Suheil. Bishop Suheil says that ‘women comprise half of our parish and society and without them the work in our parishes would cease. Therefore, special dedication should be made to them for their essential contributions in all fields.’

Bishop Suheil hopes to encourage women to participate on the boards of the institutions of the Church and its committees. Furthermore, he wishes to provide young women with equal opportunities in obtaining financial support in order to further their education and have better chances for attaining jobs. Most importantly, he will dedicate special local and international workshops and conferences to pastors' spouses so that they can participate in supporting the pastoral work of the Diocese.

Item from The Episcopal Church in Jerusalem & The Middle East