“I felt listened to”, African Lay Woman Shares Experience at Synod on Synodality in Rome
“I felt listened to”, African Lay Woman Shares Experience at Synod on Synodality in Rome
During the Wednesday, October 25 press briefing by Synod delegates, Dr. Norah Nonterah, a Synod on Synodality delegate from Ghana shared the joy of being “listened to” while she had groundbreaking conversations with leaders of the Church meeting in Rome.
Dr. Nonterah is one of the only two African lay women at the synod. The other African woman is Sheila Pires from Mozambique who is serving as Secretary of the Synod on Synodality Commission for Information.
For the first time, women are allowed to vote at a synod, and Dr. Nonterah is part of those making history in this regard.
Dr. Nonterah who teaches at Kwame Nkurumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Ghana also represents the tiny number of African lay Theologians.
During the briefing she shared the joy of being “listened to” while she had groundbreaking conversations with leaders of the Church meeting in Rome.
“I felt listened to as a lay person, as a woman and an African in a Church that most often has not given that voice; a Church that has not had a chance to enrich itself with voice and wisdom from women, from lay people and from Africans,” Dr. Nonterah said.
She expressed gratitude at her selection to participate in the Synod on Synodality conversations, noting that she traveled to Rome carrying the experiences of those in the peripheries.
“I come to this synod with unique existential experiences. I am one of the two African lay women in this synod. I am also one of the few female African theologians. This is my first time participating in a synod,” the Catholic don said.
Read full story in the ACI Africa website {Here}
Photos: Vatican Media
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