This April 23, around 2000 women from the Diocesan Coordinating Group of Women (CODIMUJ), from the Diocese of San Cristóbal, carried out a pilgrimage, which started from the barrio of San Diego and went to the Cathedral of San Cristóbal. It took place in the mark of Bishop Samuel Ruiz' Jubilee Year. The participants, who came from the seven pastoral regions of the diocesan jurisdiction, wanted to demonstrate their appreciation, support, recognition and solidarity with the Bishop, for his almost 40 years of pastoral work and accompaniment in the progress of the men and women of the 42 parishes. The pilgrimage and fiesta are not a farewell to Don Samuel, but rather the beginning of a new stage of life in the Diocese. "Tatic," as the indigenous have affectionately baptized him, is one of those persons who never go away, because "there are some who, by staying, leave, and others who, going away, remain." And so, Tatic is one of those who arrive to stay, he now lives in the hearts of the people, of the most poor and exploited, of the forgotten. His teachings, his example and strength, his untiring work for peace and justice, is what these women, who have come from so far away, are grateful for. At the same time, it was a pilgrimage of commitment, in order to give continuity to the work along the path marked by the Bishop, in order to secure a more just and dignified life for men and women. The pilgrimage was a demonstration of commitment and ecclesiastical unity.

On the other hand, it is necessary to note that the gathering together of these numbers of women was neither free nor easy. It was the product of long years of work, which has, little by little, coming to be recognized, and which, perhaps, no one has before made mention of.

The Women's Diocesan Coordinating Group

The CODIMUJ is the Woman's Area of the Diocese, with a presence in the seven pastoral regions, who organize themselves around reflection on the Word of God, interpreted, prayed and applied from the point of view of women as daughters of God. As women have been becoming more conscience of a reality -seen and analyzed through a woman's eyes, mind and heart - they have been becoming more and more aware. They are also becoming important actors, and not just within the Diocese. They have assumed commitments of social organization which seek the transformation of society into a more just and egalitarian order between men and women. This progress has been slow, long and very painful, but also very consistent.

What we today know as CODIMUJ had its first antecedents following the Second Vatican Council, and two years after the Indigenous Congress of 1974 was held. In the mid-70's there were women in the Southeast Zone and the Tzeltal Zone, who were already working in programs such as bakeries, cooperative stores, vegetable gardening and other economic programs, which somehow managed to pass unnoticed and without great importance, and were therefore not taken into consideration within the diocesan structure. But, as women began to gain force and courage, they gained strength, winning spaces with specific work, extending their influence to other pastoral zones, and so the womens groups grew. Once they had achieved a presence in all the zones, and they had gained respect and recognition for their labor, they demanded to be recognized within the diocesan structure, which they received between 1991 and 1992.

This process of coordination and organization came about through exchanges of experiences, social analysis and reflection among the first women organizers of the different zones.

At the beginning of the 80's, given the situation that existed in Chiapas, a parallel process of social organization was taking place in different parts of the state. The women who were most aware here were committing themselves to taking an active part in social organizations. Thus, the voice of women was gaining voice in the organizational expressions of civil society. But even so, neither the vertical structure of the church, nor the social organizations, recognize the work of the women in its totality, which is a challenge and a continuous struggle. The women of the CODIMUJ have opened, and have won a space, within the Diocese of San Cristóbal, as a product of the efforts of religious and of Pastoral Agents. This work played an especially important role during the period from 1985 to 1990.

How the CODIMUJ Works

The CODIMUJ works at the community, regional and pastoral zone levels, as well as at a wider level in the coordination of all the womens groups of the Diocese. It has a representation at each of those levels and a group of advisors. Its practice is illuminated by the Word of God, carrying out programs to resolve the most deeply felt needs of the communities, such as health services, human rights defense, educational services and economic programs, in addition to holding meetings, workshops and follow-up meetings, in order to strengthen and encourage all the promoters of the work.

In summary, we can say that the CODIMUJ's progress lies in achieving the following objectives:

a). - Reading and reflecting on the Word of God, through the eyes, minds and hearts of women, in order to illuminate their lives as Christian women.

b). - A demand for respect for their dignity as daughters of God, and for their rights as women.

c). - To support and to join with all the women and groups of the Diocese, in order to unite forces and to give each other courage.

d). - To, together, find new ways of responding to the difficult situations that they experience as peoples, and to the needs of the communities.

e). - "To give strength to the Word of God, encouragement to the communities and to participate in the tasks of civil society." (Bulletin of the Womens Area of the Diocese of San Cristóbal).

The Obstacles Women Face in Meeting Their Objectives

In order to be able to consolidate their work, the women have to overcome a series of obstacles, from the family circumstances and relationships with their spouses, to harassment by the soldiers and at the checkpoints. In order to carry out their work in the home, they must get up between 4 and 5 in the morning, in order to grind the maize and to make the meal for their husband who is going to work in the fields, and to take care of the children who eat and go off to school or to work. Afterwards, they must go and wash the clothes, whether it be carrying water, going to the river or getting water from the wells. If they go to the river, they are confronted with harassment from the army, and they have to use water that is already contaminated from the washing of military vehicles or with condoms that the soldiers use with the prostitutes. If they have any time left, they work in the vegetable gardens and care for the chickens and hens that contribute to the families' sustenance. Or they will gather firewood, iron the clothes and see if any fruits or vegetables can be sold, in order to contribute to the family economy. In order to be able to go out and do their pastoral work, on many occasions there will be discussions with their husbands (if married), because they have to ask permission, and they must also see about having their children looked after by neighbors, or by having the older children take care of the younger ones. If they are unmarried women, then the discussion is with the parents or the older brothers concerning letting them go out. But, in addition, the fact of being young and unmarried often exposes them to harassment at the checkpoints. Generally, when they pass through the military control points, they are interrogated concerning what organization they belong to, whether they are zapatistas, if they belong to the Diocese of San Cristóbal, what they are doing, what they are up to, where and to what they are going, etcetera. But first they have to arrange their transportation, which is very difficult. Even so, the women maintain hope and the commitment to work for the building of the Kingdom of God with a human face.

Many are the cases, and sad to relate, of women who have suffered rapes, assassination attempts, and of those who have turned to prostitution with the presence of the army and the paramilitary groups. It is enough to mention but a few examples:

The three indigenous raped at the military checkpoint in Altamirano in 1995. Following denunciations, support and legal charges against the military who were there on the day and at the hour the incidents took place, to this day, justice has still not been served.

There is the case of the two nurses from the Department of Health and Welfare (SSA), who were providing vaccination services, and who were raped very close to a military checkpoint at San Andrés Larráinzar. Justice has not been served, and nor have the events been fully investigated.

The religious woman against whom a rape was attempted in the municipality of Oxchuc, while she was going to a community to carry out her pastoral work.

Another case is that of the catechists of Tila Gloria and Margarita, who were attacked and shot at point blank range in 1998 by the "Peace and Justice" paramilitary group, for no other reason than for being Catholics and for promoting the defense of human rights in the region.

At the same time, there have been a series of incidents of rape, of kidnapping, attacks and threats, that have not been denounced, out of fear of being attacked again by their assailants. These remain anonymous, whether they occur within a framework of police military operations, attacks by paramilitary groups, dislocations, house burnings, etcetera.

This painful progress - and the positive experiences - have been shared and analyzed, not just within the Diocese, but further afield, since, in August 1987, the Womens Area of the Diocese participated in and joined the Inter-State Encuentro of Indigenous and Campesino Women of the Mexican Southeast, in Catemaco, Veracruz. Their purpose was to coordinate their work with other bodies and at other levels with the Dioceses of the southern region of the country.

Little by little women have been gaining organizational strength, not just within the Diocese, but in other parts of the country as well. An examples of this is the pilgrimage of the Ecclesiastical Base Communities (CEB's), which took place during Holy Week last year, within the solidarity and support for the Diocese of San Cristóbal, with 60% of the women participating.

Women are becoming a very important actor. This was confirmed during the March 21 Consulta "For the Recognition of the Rights of the Indian Peoples and For an End to the War of Extermination," where, in Chiapas as well as in Oaxaca, 60% of those participating in the promotion and response to the questions were women.

The activities of women of the Church have been being defined within the broader framework of women in civil society: as the builders and transmitters of moral values, with the demands for the recognition of womens rights, not just from the government, but from within the heart of the family, in the community, the municipality, the region and the country. The building of a new society and the liberation of the country cannot occur if there is no liberation for, and the integration of, women in the different structures and levels of government.

Womens' Challenges in the Diocesan Path

Less than one year before Don Samuel will be leaving the Diocese, and Don Raul Vera Lopez will be taking his place, and in the midst of pressure from state and federal governments, local power groups and enemies of the peace: women are faced with the challenge of taking on their historic process, defending their structure and space, that they have won within the diocesan structure, independently of the Bishop who comes or who stays. At this level of organizational maturity, it is relatively difficult to destroy what has already been organized. Official or ecclesiastical repression will have to be too open and confrontational to obtain its objective. There would be very high costs associated with anyone trying to impose something different.

Another challenge for them is to continue progressing united, and to know how to defend their rights, in relation to their children, their husbands and community, municipal, state and federal authorities. To know how to defend themselves at military, paramilitary or any other official checkpoints.

To struggle, so that, within social organizations and within ecclesiastical spaces, their work is recognized, and greater spaces for participation are opened to them

Women are owed respect, and their opinions should be asked, and they should be consulted in the making of decisions that concern them, within the community, the family, the municipality, and in other spaces.

Another challenge is to continue strengthening themselves and consolidating the collective work they have undertaken within the womens organizations.

The other challenge is the coordination of the CODIMUJ with other diocesan areas, so that the organization of the Womens Area can, at the same time, mean the organization of other areas and levels of the Diocese.

The federal and state governments, the Department of Government and the local power groups who are trying to dismantle and to discredit the diocesan work are not finding it so easy to achieve. On the one hand, it is a relatively advanced and mature organizational process, concerning a reality that cannot be concealed. The only means of achieving it will be resolving the structural causes of marginalization, poverty, the respect for uses and customs and their integration and constitutional recognition. That is, a change in the policies towards the people, making the help and aid not be conditional on activism within the official party, eliminating racist practices and giving marginalized peoples the place that belongs to them. and that they deserve, and that, for more than 500 years, they have been without. That is, establishing new kinds of relationships between men and women, and between society and the government.

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