World needs women, not for what they do, but who they are, pope says

Pope Francis delivers the homily as he celebrates Mass in the chapel of the Domus Sanctae Marthae guesthouse at the Vatican Nov. 6. (CNS photo/L'Osservatore Romano, handout) See POPE-HOMILY-MISMANAGEMENT Nov. 6, 2015.
(CNS photo/L’Osservatore Romano)

By Cindy Wooden
Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The exploitation of any person is a crime, but the exploitation of a woman “destroys harmony” in the world, Pope Francis said.

Commenting on the Genesis story of God creating Eve, Pope Francis told people at his early morning Mass Feb. 9 that the creation story emphasizes how the world needs the qualities women have.

Men and women “are not the same, one is not superior to the other, no,” the pope said. “It’s just that men do not bring harmony. She is the one who brings that harmony that teaches us to caress, to love with tenderness and who makes the world something beautiful.”

Click here to read more.