His striking words on women
Dignity and respect for women
During the traditional New Year mass, on January 1, 2024, Pope Francis deplored in his homelie dedicated to the Virgin Mary, the scourge of violence against women. “A society needs to welcome the gift of the woman, each woman, to respect her, to protect her, to value her knowing that anyone hurts a single woman, profane God, born of a woman,” specifies the Holy Father.
Likewise, the pope describes the domestic violence as an almost satanic act. In an interview with an Italian television channel in 2021, he spoke after listening to the testimony of a victim, mother of four. “So many women have been abused and beaten within their home, even by their husband,” deplored the Holy Father. “This is a problem which, in my eyes, is almost satanic, because it is taking advantage of the weakness of someone who cannot defend themselves. »»
Sometimes the Jesuit pope even surprised his shock words. “One of the great sins we have committed was to” masculine “the church,” said the pope in late November 2023, in front of theologians. Before saying to them: “It’s a task that I ask you, please. Disasculinize the church ”. An expression that the sovereign pontiff repeats in “hopes”, his new book.
Women and church
From the start of his pontificate, Pope Francis said in favor of women in the Church. On April 3, 2013, during his second general hearing, on Saint-Pierre square, he wanted to remind the faithful that “the first witnesses of the resurrection were women. “They” had a primordial role, fundamental “in the announcement of faith.
At the end of June 2014, in an interview with the Italian newspaper Il Messaggero, the new Pope was notably questioned about the role of women. He replies: “Woman is the most beautiful thing that God has created. The church is a woman. ” Church ” is a female word. There is no possible theology without this femininity. »»
“The service yes, the servitude no,” insists Pope Francis. In 2019, he called on the nuns to refuse to undergo the abuse of power of the clergy by insisting that their lives in the service of their next ones should not make them slaves. The same year, the sovereign pontiff said that it was time for women “do not feel hosts, but fully participating in the various areas of social and ecclesial life. »»
Women and society
In accordance with the doctrine of the Church, Pope Francis denounces the culture that reduces women to “consumer objects”. In 2020, for his first mass of the year in the Saint-Pierre Basilica, he deplored in his homily that women are “continuously offended, beaten, violated and pushed to prostitute and suppress the life they carry within them. »»
Since his arrival at the Vatican, Pope Francis has highlighted “female genius”, that is to say the unique ability of women to give life and promote peace. On March 8, 2019, during his speech before a delegation from the American Jewish Committee, he said: “Peace is a woman. It is born and is reborn from the tenderness of mothers. This is why the dream of peace happens by looking at women. »»
In 2024, in Rome, on March 7 and 8, the Holy Father called to fight against the discrimination between the sexes: “The path to better societies goes precisely through the education of girls, girls and young women. He also cited on this occasion the names of ten women, who are “ten testimonies of holiness”, like Joséphine Bakhita, Magdeleine of Jesus and Teresa de Calcutta.
Four strong quotes from Pope Francis on women
- “A society needs to welcome the gift of the woman, each woman, to respect her, to protect her, to enhance her knowing that anyone hurts a single woman, profane God, born of a woman”
- “One of the great sins we have committed was” masculinizing “the church,” said the Pope in late November 2023, in front of theologians. Before saying to them: “It’s a task that I ask you, please. Unmaw the church”
- “Woman is the most beautiful thing that God has created. The Church is a woman. ” Church ” is a female word. There is no possible theology without this femininity.”
- “Peace is a woman. She is born and is reborn from the tenderness of mothers. This is why the dream of peace is coming true while looking at women.”
