Last Sunday in Istanbul , Turkey , several hundred women took to the streets to protest the violation of their human rights. No arrests were made.

I felt a bit sad because Turkey is such a wonderful eastern country with a rich Christian past, some of which I had seen on my “Footsteps of St. Paul” pilgrimage last November.

But underneath that impressive historical and architectural façade lurk long-standing evils: violation of women's rights, intolerance of other faiths and very little freedom of speech.

Turkey is seeking membership to the EU. EU membership will mean among other things more finances with which to address violations of women's rights e.g. domestic violence, poor education and exclusion from employment.

These social ills came to mind as we observed International Women's Day last Tuesday. The international humanitarian organisation, CARE, gives some staggering statistics:

•  Of more than 1 billion people in the developing world who live on less than $1 (US) a day, 70% are women

•  Two thirds of the world's 876 million illiterate adults are women

•  Women produce half the world's food, but own only 1% of its farmland

At a recent conference at UWI, St Augustine, on “Faith-based Organisations and Social Responsibility”, a visiting professor from Ryerson University, Canada, Dr Joseph Springer, noted that in Latin America and the Caribbean the most unsafe place for a woman is in the home and that danger increases significantly should she decide to leave the home.

In spite of these huge obstacles women are making their way in the world and in the Church. Dr Ivan Perot noted in an article some time ago that at the last graduation of doctors from the University of the West Indies women got all the top prizes. He commented that while the male doctors were looking at the female ones the female doctors were looking at their books.

Change is being brought about in the Church too, slowly but surely, and in spite of Vatican and diocesan initiatives or lack thereof. This is being done from below, almost like a silent, unseen rebellion. In the area of theology and philosophy women are becoming increasingly visible.

At theological faculties the world over, including Jesuit universities, women are increasingly present as lecturers and professors in the theology/philosophy department. Think what this is doing. Even though the Vatican does not like to hear it, for almost two thousand years theology has been dominated by men; it has been, as feminist theologians have pointed out, a patriarchal discipline.

Women are slowly changing all this and making theology more gender-balanced. One cannot read theology today in America without hearing names such as Elizabeth Schussler Fiorenza, Rosemary Radford-Reuther and Elizabeth Ann Johnson – eminent professors of theology who have made seminal contributions to Catholic thinking on a range of issues – doctrine of God, ecology, mariology.

Theology is not the only area in which women are increasingly exerting their influence. The majority of people who do degrees in pastoral ministry are women.

Again think of the effect this is having. The people who are at the helm of catechesis – sacramental preparation, ministry to youth, chaplains to hospitals and prisons, social justice issues – are all women.

Mary Ann Glendon, president of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences and Harvard law professor, may protest what she sees as the deleterious effects of radical feminism in the Church, but the feminist strain is here to stay and it will become more assertive as this century progresses.

There is even a lot of revisionist work being done in hagiography; women are re-reading the saints like Teresa of Avila, Thérèse of Lisieux, Hildegard of Bingen and Julian of Norwich and are coming up with original ideas on the Trinity and the nature of Christ (Christology).

I am proud to say that our Regional Seminary has been prophetic in this regard. When I entered the seminary in 1983 there were already several women on staff – Srs Diane Jagdeo OP, Patty de Freitas HF and Katrina Charles O Carm.

Sr Diane herself made an important contribution to feminist theological thinking in the Caribbean when she delivered a paper at our 10 th anniversary celebration of Catholic Theology in the Caribbean Today – a theological association dominated by men (through no fault of our own!).

She challenged Dr Gerald Boodoo's notion of “forced context” – which means that we in the Caribbean do theology in an area that has always been “forced” – determined by conditions of slavery and indentureship and now by globalisation.

She gave a fascinating view on how Caribbean women have bravely and wisely manoeuvered themselves through “forced contexts” – domestic violence, marital infidelity, poverty, lack of education, large families etc. She pointed to women's experience as a source for developing a theology of wisdom.

We do not have enough of this kind of thinking in our local Church. Women dominate our Church and they do the majority of shepherding but they do not have a feminine theological voice. This is partly their own fault.

Too many of them do not seem interested. Most of them may not be able to do full-time degrees in theology due to work/family constraints but at least some should try and make the sacrifice – mothers with grown children for instance. Then again a degree in theology is not the only way to go.

Fr Michel de Verteuil has pioneered lectio divina locally and internationally for thirty years. This method of doing theology can achieve the same results under the direction of a proper guide as it did for the late Cheryl Herrera, formerly of the Pastoral Centre. Cheryl was able to come up with insights into scripture from a typically female perspective.

I saw Catherine Ali, a parishioner from Vistabella community ( San Fernando parish) do the same thing. She gave a reflection on the woman who touched Jesus' garment (Mk 5: 25 -34). It was rather original for the simple reason that I do not issue blood!

Archbishop Gilbert has already conveyed to priests the necessity of proper theological and philosophical training of lay ministers/leaders. He said the US bishops recently released guidelines for the training of married deacons and something similar (perhaps not in such depth) will have to be done for lay ministers/leaders.

I personally welcome this initiative since as I move around from parish to parish I am amazed at the number of people who command “pulpits” and the strange doctrine that issues from their mouths. I have always felt that charity of heart, a spirit of sacrifice and deep piety must be balanced by the best teachings of Vatican II, much of which still has to be received by faithful and clergy alike.

From what I am seeing the ones who will be given this mandate of passing on the faith outside ordained sacramental ministry are women. Their contribution has just begun. We wait to see what kind of Church these midwives will bring forth.