During the Pope’s general audience remarks yesterday in a speech on the importance of marriage in society, he spoke up in favor of equal pay for women, asking the massive crowd to consider “the Christian seed of radical equality between men and women.”
“We must support decisively the right of equal pay for equal work,” said the Pope. “Why is it taken for granted that women must earn less than men? No – they have the same rights. The discrepancy is a pure scandal.”
The Pope also firmly sloughed off suggestions that feminism was to blame for declining marriage rates in society. “Many consider that the change occurring in these last decades may have been set in motion by women’s emancipation,” said Francis; but he disagreed, saying that line of thinking is “an insult! No, it is not true!” and that blaming feminists is “is a form of chauvinism that always wants to control the woman.”
Of course, the Pope still won’t allow women to be ordained, said that a family is based on “the man and woman that love each other,” and also called to “recognize the maternity of women and the paternity of men as a perennially valid treasure for the benefit of children,” but you know. Baby steps.
(via Washington Post, photo via Catholic Church England and Wales)
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