Pope urges men to say no to violence against women
Francis makes this appeal in a video message marking World Day of Prayer and Reflection against Human Trafficking. For the pontiff, the domestic and sexual exploitation inflicted on thousands of women and girls reflects the “power of the male gender over the female”; such violence “is an open wound on the body of Christ” and “affects every one of us”.
Vatican City (AsiaNews) – Pope Francis released a video message today, World Day of Prayer and Reflection against Human Trafficking, which the Catholic Church celebrates on the same day as the feast of St Josephine Bakhita.
The observance was organised by the women religious’ International Union of Superiors General (UISG) and the men religious’ Union of Superiors General (USG) in cooperation with Talitha Kum, the international Catholic network against human trafficking.
In his address, the pontiff called on the faithful to “keep your indignation alive” vis-à-vis the thousands of women and girls “subjected to multiple forms of exploitation, also through forced marriage, domestic slavery and slave labour.
“The organization of societies worldwide is still far from reflecting clearly the fact that women have the same dignity and identical rights as men.
“Human trafficking, through domestic or sexual exploitation, violently relegates women and girls to their supposed role of subordination, in the provision of domestic or sexual services, and to their role as providers of care and dispensers of pleasure, which proposes yet again a model of relationships marked by the power of the male gender over the female. This occurs even today, and at a high level.”
“The violence suffered by every woman and every girl is an open wound on the body of Christ, on the body of all humanity; it is a deep wound that affects every one of us too.
“There are many women who have had the courage to rebel against violence. We men, too, are also required to do so, to say no to every form of violence, including that against women and girls. And together we can and must fight to ensure that human rights are interpreted in a specific way, respecting diversity and recognizing the dignity of every person, with special attention to those whose fundamental rights have been violated.”
Citing Saint Bakhita, the Sudanese slave who was freed to eventually become a woman religious in Italy offering her merciful presence to the downtrodden, Pope Francis explained that her story shows how change is possible.
“Her life tells us that change is possible when one lets oneself be transformed by God’s care for each one of us. It is the care of mercy – it is the care of love that changes us deeply and makes us able to welcome others as brothers and sisters. Recognizing the dignity of each person is the first act of care”.
“I encourage every woman and every girl who is committed to transformation and care, in school, in the family, and in society. And I encourage every man and every boy not to be left out of this process of transformation, recalling the example of the Good Samaritan: a man who is not ashamed to tend to his brother and to take care of him.
“Taking care is God’s action in history, in our personal history and in our history as a community. God has taken care of, and takes care for us continually. Caring together, men and women, is the appeal of this World Day of Prayer and Reflection against human trafficking: together we can encourage the growth of an economy of care, opposing with all our might every form of exploitation in human trafficking.”
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