The Pope Francisco started the new Year on Saturday praising the ability of women to promote peace in the world, and compared the violence against them with an offense to God.
The Catholic Church dedicates January 1 to world peace, and the mass officiated by the pontiff in the Vatican’s St. Peter’s Basilica paid tribute to the special place that the Virgin Mary occupies in faith as the mother of Jesus.
Mothers “know how to overcome obstacles and disagreements, and instill peace,” Francis said during his homily.
“In this way, they transform problems into opportunities for rebirth and growth. They can do it because they know how to hold together the different threads of life “, added the pontiff.” We need people like this, capable of weaving the threads of communion instead of the thorny alarm of conflict and division. “
Francis urged everyone to redouble their efforts to promote mothers and protect women.
“How much violence is exercised against women! Enough! To hurt a woman is to insult God, “he said.
In addition, he praised women, including those who are mothers, saying that “they look at the world not to exploit it but to make it have life. Women, seeing with the heart, can combine dreams and aspirations with concrete realities, without drifting towards abstraction and sterile pragmatism. “
Although in his papacy he promised to give a greater role to women in the Church, Francis has also made it clear that the priesthood is reserved for men.
In a tweet before the mass of New Year, the pontiff delved into his hope and strategy for peace.
“Everyone can collaborate in the construction of a more peaceful world: starting from their own heart and relationships in the family, in society and with the environment, to relationships between peoples and between states,” he tweeted.
With the exception of the pope and members of a choir made up of children and adults, those attending the mass wore masks as part of the protocol against COVID-19.
Francisco, who is 85 years old and vaccinated against the coronavirus, did wear a surgical mask during the New Year’s Eve ceremony held in the basilica, which was officiated by a Vatican cardinal, something unusual in the two years of the pandemic.
