· Vatican City ·

06 March 2021

Without fear

We must not be afraid to give space to women, argues Francis. These words strike us, and lead us to reopen a reflection. Has there ever been, and is there still a fear of women in the Church? Surely, Jesus was not afraid of women, for his life was marked by encounters with various female figures, and who are equally important in the history of salvation. Therefore, what has taken place?  We can say categorically that the Church has not valued the charisma, the strength and that “feminine genius” that John Paul II recognized on the threshold of the year 2000. In distant, yet historically important centuries, witches, prophets, living saints, visionaries, and mystics were feared because they expressed an uncontrolled, unconventional religiosity, and could - and in fact did - exert an influence on the people or the political system of their time.

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