The following is excerpted from the Church News. To read the full article, CLICK HERE.
Addressing the European Union Parliament in anticipation of International Women’s Day, President Camille N. Johnson, Relief Society general president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, invited leaders to “envision a world in which women cultivate, use and expand their natural gifts.”
Reaching across faith boundaries builds peace, she said on Monday, March 4, at the parliament building in Brussels, Belgium. “Friends, we can achieve what no government can: a sisterhood — a global sisterhood of peacemakers.”
During keynote remarks titled “Empowering Women’s Freedom of Religion and Belief,” President Johnson quoted President Russell M. Nelson saying women “have been blessed with a unique moral compass” and possess “special spiritual gifts and propensities” to sense human needs and to comfort, teach and strengthen.
Accordingly, she explained, “each of our communities depend upon ordinary women for human flourishing as they perform their unique roles as leaders, teachers, nurturers, healers and peacemakers.”
For those “ordinary women upon whom we depend,” it is important to address a profound problem that is too often overlooked by contemporary observers, commentators and journalists.
“It is this — nationalizing cultures that are hostile to minority religious beliefs and secularizing cultures that are antagonistic to religion generally, when coupled with government restrictions on religious institutions and religious exercise, have devastating effects on society generally and on women specifically.”
The intimate meeting, held around a boardroom table, was hosted by Anja Haga, a member of the European parliament.
To read the full article, CLICK HERE.
