Metamorphosis and Leadership: The Mission of Women in the World

Abstract

This article offers a theological-pastoral reflection on the challenges and prospects of the Church’s evangelizing mission in the contemporary context, marked by secularization, cultural pluralism, and ethical, anthropological, and ecological crises. The research is guided by the following central questions: In what ways can the figure of Mary be understood as a paradigm for the mission of women in the contemporary Church? How does the practical applicability of the teachings found in the documents of the Second Vatican Council - particularly Lumen Gentium and Ad Gentes - provide a theological foundation for women's participation in the evangelizing mission? What pastoral pathways, inspired by Marian spirituality, can foster female leadership and the vitality of ecclesial communities? This study aims to analyze the mission of women as a paradigm of metamorphosis and re-creation, illuminated by the figure of Mary, who is regarded as a hermeneutical key to the Church's missionary identity. Drawing from the documents of the Second Vatican Council, the article highlights Trinitarian, Christological, and ecclesiological foundations that inform and support the mission of women and the active participation of the laity. Mary is presented not merely as an object of devotion, but as an icon of listening, care, and discipleship - pointing toward a synodal, Samaritan, and missionary Church. The theological-pastoral method employed is the see-judge-act approach, integrating critical listening to reality, theological discernment, and a commitment to re-signifying the mission of women in the world. In light of the 2025 Jubilee, which commemorates the 60th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council, the article proposes reflections on strengthening female leadership and ecclesial communities within a Church that values care, attentive listening, and hope.