A letter to President Carter from the Sisters of Providence

(Note: The following is a letter from the General Council of the Sisters of Providence to President Jimmy Carter)

Dear Mr. President Carter:

We are deeply saddened to hear of your diagnosis of advanced cancer and want you to know of our prayer for you and for Rosalynn at this difficult time in your lives. We have placed your name at the shrine of our foundress, St. Mother Theodore Guerin that she may be present to you and intercede on your behalf.

We want to thank you and Rosalynn for your passionate dedication to world peace and human rights.

You have declared violence toward women to be the number one human rights abuse in this world.

Especially we want to acknowledge the invaluable and extensive contribution you have made to advancing human rights for women and girls across the globe. You have visited 145 countries and worked with women in over 70 countries in a manner that fostered women’s leadership development and collaboration to end poverty, disease, violence and injustice.

In your excellent book: A Call to Action: Women, Religion, Violence and Power, you confronted the myth and tragic results of perceiving men and boys as superior to women and girls. You have noted how that belief is not regional but indeed spans the global society and religious consciousness.

As Catholic women religious we struggle with the painful effects of inequality. We thank you for making clear how a false interpretation of religious texts plays a vital role in promoting violence toward women and denying them equal opportunities. We deeply appreciate the leadership you have given to creating a new paradigm of relationship.

May the God, whose call you have answered so generously by acting justly, loving tenderly and walking humbly, provide a deep healing presence. May our compassionate God provide you and Rosalynn with those graces you most need and desire.

Enclosed is a check for $100 to continue the legacy of the Carter Center.

With deep gratitude and prayer.