The head of the Catholic Church highlighted the differences between men and women and called for “equality in diversity”.
Pope Francis condemned violence and prejudice against women and said that equal pay and equal opportunity can help create a more peaceful and sustainable world.
This is stated in his preface to a book published on the Vatican News website for International Women's Day.
Pope Francis highlighted the differences between men and women and called for “equality in diversity” on a “playing field open to all players”.
“I would like to believe that if women could enjoy full equality of opportunity, they could make a significant contribution to the changes needed for a world of peace, integration, solidarity and holistic sustainability,” the Pope said.
Also on Wednesday, at the end of his weekly audience in St. Peter's Square, the Pope recalled International Women's Day by asking the crowd to “applaud all women because they deserve it.”
Francis has condemned discrimination against women before, but like his predecessors, he rules out the possibility of a female clergy. The Catholic Church teaches that only men can become priests because Jesus chose them to be apostles.
“Women's thinking is different from men's. They are more attentive to environmental protection, their views are directed not to the past, but to the future. Women know that they give birth in pain in order to achieve great joy: to give life and open up large, new horizons. This is why women always want peace,” the Pope wrote in the preface to a book called More Women in Leadership for a Better World.
Recall that earlier Pope Francis, celebrating his 86th birthday, awarded the Order of Mother Teresa to a priest, a businessman and a homeless person in recognition of their deeds of mercy.
