“Women Are Not Second-Class Disciples”: Congolese Theologian Urges Equal Recognition of Women in the Church

Nairobi, 09 October, 2025 / 11:20 AM

A Catholic theologian from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has said that the Church in Africa must accord women, as messengers and witnesses of Jesus, the recognition, dignity, and equal treatment that are rightfully theirs.

In his presentation during the International Conference on the Bible at the Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA) on Wednesday, October 8, Dr. Constantine Katitu Kamba noted that women in Africa continue to face various forms of discrimination despite numerous measures aimed at safeguarding their rights.

“Women are not second-class disciples. They must be accorded the recognition, dignity, and equal treatment that are rightfully theirs. They are witnesses and messengers of Jesus,” he said.

Dr. Kamba expressed concern that, despite the significant qualifications of women and their active contribution to evangelization and catechesis, “their access to leadership roles within the Church and society remains limited.”

“In the context of the African Church, women play an active role in evangelization and catechesis. Within families, women assume responsibility for the religious education of children,” he said. 

In his presentation titled “Paradigm of Matthean Hermeneutics in the African Context,” the Congolese theologian cautioned against attempts to justify the marginalization of women by appealing to the historically conditioned androcentric perspective found in the Gospel of Matthew.

“The story of Jesus presented by Matthew is an inclusive history in which the community sees itself both reflected and involved. And the 12 disciples are portrayed here as models of living the faith for all the time,” he said. 

Dr. Kamba added, “The androcentric perspective of the Gospel of Matthew can be understood within the historical and sociocultural context of its composition, particularly within a community shaped by Jewish social norms.”

“This historically conditioned perspective must not be used as theological or cultural rationale for the ongoing marginalization of women in the African church and society,” he warned.

Dr. Kamba went on to emphasize that, “the Gospel of Matthew, and particularly the pericopes of the women at the tomb, give place to a critical revaluation of the role of the women in the life of the church and the society.”

“Women continue to play a vital role in nurturing and shaping the life of the Church and the wider community,” he said during the October 6-8 Bible conference that CUEA organized in partnership with the Catholic Biblical Centre for Africa and Madagascar/Nairobi (BICAM) and the Institute of Missiology Missio in Aachen, Germany.

He said the contribution of women “ought not to be limited to traditional roles,” and underscored that women “must also be actively integrated into leadership positions and decision-making processes in the Church and in society.”

“This needs the implementation of measures to ensure that women are granted equitable access to leadership roles and to education, where they can fully exercise their gift and spiritual gift for the enrichment of the church and of the society,” said Dr. Kamba during the three-day international conference realized under the theme, “Bible, Women, and Societal Issues within Africa.”