Empower women and you empower the world, Vatican tells UN

Last updated on: March 23, 2016 at 9:06 am by CNA Daily News

Empower women and you empower the world, Vatican tells UN 2016-03-23T09:06:00+00:00 CNA Daily News

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

New York City, N.Y., Mar 23, 2016 / 03:06 am (CNA/EWTN News).- If diplomacy and policy-making are to be successful, all women – including those who are often left out of the conversation – must have a voice in the process, a Holy See representative told the United Nations.

“Empowering women means creating the conditions necessary for them to flourish, in full acceptance of and in accordance with their natural genius as women, and in harmonious complementarity with the gifts of men,” Archbishop Bernardito Auza, Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations, said March 18.

“Empowering women and girls will greatly help the world community not to leave anyone behind, and their empowerment will empower us all,” he said.

He gave his remarks during the deliberations of the 60th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women of the United Nations. This session's focus was “Women's Empowerment and the Link to Sustainable Development.”

Archbishop Auza focused on the idea that “no one will be left behind” as found in the commitment of the Member States in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Women, he said, must be recognized for their "vital role … in preventive diplomacy, mediation, peacekeeping and peace-building processes, as well as their growing presence in policy-making bodies and advocacy groups."

However, elderly women, mothers, and pre-born girls, the archbishop said, are especially vulnerable to sex-based discrimination.

Instead of being seen as critical policy priorities, elderly women's needs are frequently overlooked leading these women to feel “unwanted and, in some cases, leaving them vulnerable to the pressures of assisted suicide.”

“An exaggerated focus on economic productivity and the decline of family values are leaving elderly women even farther behind,” he said.

Elderly women should be made to “feel welcome and productive in their own way” by making their wisdom available for the whole of society, Archbishop Auza said.

In a similar way, he said, mothers face discrimination when their “essential contribution to the development of society through motherhood is not adequately acknowledged, appreciated, advanced and defended.” This prejudice, oftentimes by way of cultural and legal pressures, forces women to choose between a career and motherhood.

On behalf of his delegation, Archbishop Auza said he wanted to thank “all women who have raised generations of responsible daughters and sons.”

Girls in the womb also face discrimination, even before they have the chance to be born.

Abortion and in-vitro fertilization have been used to “selectively eliminate girls, leading to unnatural sex-ratio-at-birth disparities” causing a deficit of more than 160 million girls compared to boys, he said.

After addressing the concerns of these groups of women, Archbishop Auza emphasized the importance of ensuring access to education and healthcare for women and girls, which he called indispensable.

He pointed out that the Catholic Church, “through its vast network of 250,000 schools, 23,500 clinics and hospitals, 16,000 homes for the elderly and those with special needs,” the majority of which are located in developing nations and areas of conflict, is the “largest education and health provider in the world.”

Women’s healthcare must be provided “in accord with their feminine humanity and dignity,” he said, adding that it “would be contradictory to seek to empower women while suppressing their natural potentialities.”

Women in need should not only be the beneficiaries of aid, but they should "above all … be empowered to become dignified agents of their own development and important drivers of sustainable development."

Previous Post

March 23, 2016

Faith in a world under siege – thoughts from Archbishop Chaput

Next Post

March 23, 2016 Canada's 'commit life' campaign fights suicide with message of hope

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Americas Asia - Pacific Europe Middle East - Africa Uncategorized US Vatican

Select a Month November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What was the primary liquid measurement in Biblical times?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Cor Hin Ephah Bath