The third edition of the AVOSA Catholic Women’s Conference took place on June 27 in Abu Dhabi, bringing together around 250 women from across the UAE.

Organized by the AVOSA Family Ministry, the conference was dedicated this year to the theme “The Secret of Hope is Mercy,” offering participants a day of prayer, reflection, friendship, and sharing.

The day opened with the celebration of Mass, followed by the opening address of Bishop Paolo Martinelli, Apostolic Vicar of Southern Arabia. In his reflection, the Bishop invited the participants to rediscover mercy not simply as forgiveness, but as the creative power of God, capable of opening new paths of good even from situations marked by weakness, suffering, limitation, or sin.

“Mercy is not simply the cancellation of a debt or the forgetting of a sin,” Bishop Paolo said. “Mercy is something much more creative.” Referring to St. John Paul II, he highlighted that mercy “is God’s ability to bend even the evil in us to new paths of good,” he said. “It is the ability to draw new good from evil.” That’s why “mercy is truly the secret of hope. It is mercy that transforms us from old souls into new souls, new creatures.”

After the Bishop’s address, participants also had the opportunity to take part in a Q&A session with him.

The main sessions of the conference were guided by Fr. Peter Fernando, Director of the AVOSA Family Ministry, who presented a reflection on mercy as the possibility of “beginning again”, in the light of the Franciscan spirituality. The programme also included powerful testimonies, workshops, moments of sharing, songs, dances, and opportunities for strengthening friendship and fellowship in a joyful and relaxed atmosphere.

The day concluded with Eucharistic Adoration, entrusting to the Lord the lives, families, communities, and hopes of all the women present.

The conference was a meaningful occasion of faith, friendship, community, and joy — a reminder that God’s mercy always opens the way to a new beginning.