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Pope Francis’s address to the Central Anti-Crime Directorate
Clementine Hall Saturday, 26 November 2022
Re: the struggle to free women and girls from different forms of violence
Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen,
I thank the Chief of Police for his introductory words – thank you very much, they were strong – and I greet all of you who form the Central Anti-Crime Directorate.
I am pleased to be able to meet you the day after the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, promoted by the United Nations.
This year the theme is an appeal to unite in the struggle to free women and girls from different forms of violence, which unfortunately is permanent, widespread and transversal with respect to the social body.
I would like to thank you, both for the work you carry out with professional and human commitment, and because, asking to meet me on this occasion, you draw everyone’s attention to the need to join forces for this goal of dignity and civilization.
First of all, thank you for the service you do every day to Italian society.
Unfortunately, the news continually reports news of violence against women and girls.
And you are an institutional point of reference to counteract this painful reality.
There are many women among you, and this is a great resource: women who help other women, who can better understand them, listen to them, support them.
I imagine how demanding it must be for you, as women, to carry inwardly the weight of the situations you encounter, and that involve you on the human level.
I think how valuable a targeted psychological preparation is for this work.
And, I might add, also spiritual, because only at a deep level can one find and preserve a serenity and calm that allow us to transmit confidence to those who are prey to brutal violence.
That inner strength which Jesus Christ shows us in his Passion, and which he communicated to so many Christian women, some of whom we venerate as martyrs: from Agatha and Lucy to Maria Goretti and Sister Maria Laura Mainetti.
With regard to your institutional responsibility, I must touch on another important aspect. Unfortunately, women very often not only find themselves alone to face certain situations of violence, but then, when the case is denounced, they do not get justice, or the time of justice is too long, interminable.
We must be vigilant and improve on this, without falling into justicialism.
The state must ensure that the case is accompanied at every stage and that the victim can obtain justice as soon as possible. Women must also be “rescued”, that is, it is necessary to ensure that they are safe from current threats and also from recidivism, which unfortunately are frequent even after a possible sentence.
Dear friends, as I said, I am grateful to you because our meeting draws attention to this year’s International Day, which calls us to unite to fight together every form of violence against women. In fact, a specialized corps, however efficient, is not enough to win this battle; Enforcement and the necessary repressive actions are not enough. We must unite, collaborate, network: and not only a defensive network, but above all a preventive network!
This is always decisive when trying to eliminate a social scourge that is also linked to deep-rooted cultural attitudes, mentalities and prejudices.
Therefore, with your presence, which can sometimes become a witness, you also act as a stimulus in the social body: a stimulus to react, not to resign, to act.
It is an action – as we said – first of all of prevention. Let’s think about families.
We have seen that the pandemic, with forced isolation, has unfortunately exacerbated certain dynamics within the home. It has exasperated them, not created them: they are in fact often latent tensions, which can be resolved in advance at the educational level.
This, I would say, is the key word: education. And here the family cannot be left alone.
If families are largely affected by the economic and social crisis, and they are not adequately supported, we cannot be surprised that there, in the closed domestic environment, with so many problems, certain tensions explode. And on this point we need prevention.
Another decisive aspect: if in the mass media messages are constantly proposed that feed a hedonistic and consumerist culture, where models, both male and female, obey the criteria of success, self-affirmation, competition, the power to attract the other and dominate him, even here, we cannot then, in a hypocritical way, tear our clothes in the face of certain news events.
This type of cultural conditioning is contrasted with an educational action that places the person, with his dignity, at the center.
I am reminded of a saint of our times: Saint Josephine Bakhita.
You know that the ecclesial work that works alongside women victims of trafficking is named after her.
Sister Josephine Bakhita suffered heavy violence in her childhood and youth.
She redeemed herself fully by accepting the Gospel of God’s love and became a witness to his liberating and healing power.
But she is not the only one: there are many women, some of whom are “saints next door”, who have been healed by mercy, by the tenderness of Christ, and with their lives they bear witness that we must not resign ourselves, that love, closeness, solidarity of sisters and brothers can save from slavery.
This is why I say: to the girls and boys of today, we propose these testimonies.
In schools, sports groups, oratories, associations, we present true stories of liberation and healing, stories of women who have come out of the tunnel of violence and can help to open our eyes to the pitfalls, traps, dangers hidden behind false models of success.
Dear friends, I accompany my twofold “thank you” with prayer for you and for your work.
May the Virgin Mary and Saint Bakhita intercede for you.
I cordially bless all of you and your families. And I ask you, please, to pray for me. Thank you.
