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“Let us pray that the dignity and worth of women be recognized in every culture”
The video for the prayer intention for April was created and produced by the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network,
in cooperation with La Machi Agency and the Dicastery for Communication/
It is available online at www.thepopevideo.org. The text is as follows:
“Let us pray that the dignity and worth of women be recognized in every culture, and for an end to the discrimination they face in various parts of the world”.
This is Pope Francis’ prayer intention for the month of April, which was published on Tuesday, 2 April, by the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network and the Click To Pray app.
“In many parts of the world, women are treated like the first thing to get rid of”, the Pope says, speaking out against the discrimination and marginalization many women around the world experience.
The short video begins with a clip of a young woman crying.
Images of suffering, marginalization and violence follow.
The Pope continues “There are countries where women are forbidden to access aid, open a business, or go to school”. He says “In these places they are subject to laws that make them dress a certain way.
And in many countries, genital mutilation is still practiced”.
“Let us not rob all these abused women of their voice. They are exploited, marginalized”, the Holy Father stresses before going on to note the gap between those who fight mistreatment and discrimination, and the reality that, in the day-to-day for many women, things do not change.
“In theory, we all agree that men and women have the same dignity as persons. But this does not play out in practice”, he says, which is why “governments need to commit to eliminate discriminatory laws everywhere and to work toward guaranteeing women’s human rights”.
As the video goes on to show groups, associations and church and civil movements committed to promoting women’s dignity, the Pope asks that women be respected.
He adds, “Let us respect their dignity, their basic rights. And if we don’t, our society will not progress”.
The video concludes with scenes of solidarity, featuring women religious, volunteers and members of different organizations supporting young women.
It shows happy, free women who have found fulfilment through their role in the workplace and in society.
Commenting on this month’s prayer intention, Jesuit Fr Frédéric Fornos, International Director of the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network, highlights that “from the beginning, Jesus welcomed women as his disciples”, which he explains, was “a novelty in the society of that time”.
He goes on to observe that “as the Gospels testify, Jesus’ mother, Mary, held a prominent place among the Apostles and in the early community”, and that “Jesus entrusted his mission of announcing his resurrection to his brothers to a woman, Mary Magdalene.
He continues, “Throughout history women have contributed to the spiritual dynamism in the Church: Teresa of Avila, Catherine of Siena, and Thérèse of Lisieux, who are Doctors of the Church, and countless other saints”.
Fr Fornos then invites the faithful to continue to recognize women’s place in the Church, noting that “if the Christian community were a business, without the active participation of women, it would go bankrupt”.
