Bangkok (AsiaNews) Women from five different Christian denominations met on the World Day of Prayer to defeat discrimination and enlighten society with their faith.
Currently, the prayer, which dates back to the late 19th century, is an annual event in some 170 countries.
In Thailand the Catholic Commission for Women organised the prayer meeting at Our Lady of Fatima Church in Bangkok with Mgr Lawrence Thienchai, Bishop of Chanthaburi, celebrating the liturgy.
Women from the Protestant, Baptist, Seven Days Adventist, United Christian and Catholic Churches attended the event whose main theme this year was: "Let us be the shining LIGHT".
After the Gospel and the homely were read, women from each denomination took turns to say her prayer, each calling for greater respect for women who, like men, are created in God's image as well as greater recognition of women's value in society.
Rev Samurchai Srimala, who is from the Protestant church of Phisanuloak (north of Bangkok) and a woman, said that "all Christians can bear witness to the word of God in their daily activities and be a beacon of light that shines onto society".
She invited the faithful to "bring love, goodness and compassion to all" and avoid conflicts rooted in "misunderstanding and the lack of truth."
Bishop Samanchit told those present that "nowadays people mistake evil for good. Some says skipping Sunday mass is not a sin. Others think that a couple living together like husband and wife before getting married is lawful. People are still slave to sexual passion."
For Sister Maliwan Chamrastarangkul, from the Catholic Commission for Women, "women play an important role as mother and the first teacher of their children." Women, in her view, must be protected from domestic violence and polygamy which is still accepted in Thai society "even though it is against both Buddhist and Catholic doctrine."
The World Day of Prayer began in the United States in 1887 when Presbyterian women called for a Day of Prayer for Home Missions and Methodist women called for a Week of Prayer and Self-Denial for Foreign Missions. It takes place on the first Friday of March every year.In Thailand only Protestants and Catholics had participate to the event until this year.