Pope Francis included in his New Year's message a strong call for an end to violence against women, calling it an insult to God. And a year ago he spoke on this issue, but not in such a sharp tone and rather with criticism of the abuse of the female body.

Yesterday, the Catholic Church celebrated Mother's Day and World Peace Day, and the 85-year-old spiritual leader of hundreds of millions of Christians celebrated a liturgy at St. Peter's Basilica. The ensuing sermon on motherhood and women contained some of his sharpest words so far about violence against them.

"And because women give life and women support the world, let's do more to help mothers and protect women," Francis said. "How much violence there is against women! Enough! To hurt a woman is an insult to God, who came to us from a woman - not through an angel, not directly, but through a woman," he continued, referring to the Mother of God.

Last month, the pope spoke on a televised meeting with a woman beaten by her ex-husband, saying violence against women was an "almost satanic" act. He has addressed the issue several times since the pandemic began.

His message for World Peace Day was circulated in December, in which he called on states to redirect arms spending to education and social services. This text has been sent to all heads of state and international organizations, and a copy signed by the Pope will be presented during official visits to the Vatican in 2022.

/Dnevnik

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