VATICAN (CNS): Abuses and violence against women are “acts of cowardice and a degradation of all humanity,” Pope Francis said.
“We must not look the other way. Let us pray for women who are victims of violence, that they may be protected by society and have their sufferings considered and heeded by all,” he said in remarks that were part of a video message released by the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network as part of his prayer intention for the month of February.
Titled, For women who are victims of violence, the pope’s prayer intention decries the various kinds of violence millions of women suffer daily: “psychological violence, verbal violence, physical violence, sexual violence.”
“It’s shocking how many women are beaten, insulted and raped,” said the pope in the message.
According to a November 2020 report from United Nations Women, an estimated 137 women are killed by members of their own family each day. Globally, one in three women have experienced physical or sexual violence at some point in their lives, and 15 million adolescent girls worldwide aged 15 to 19 have experienced forced sexual relations.
The Covid-19 coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic has aggravated the situation as measures aimed at limiting the spread of the coronavirus have often led to greater social isolation and economic insecurity, making women more vulnerable to violence in private, it added.
In his video message, the pope said, “The testimonies of the victims who dare to break their silence are a cry for help that we cannot ignore.”
He urged people to not be indifferent and to pray for the protection of victims.
The Pope Video was launched in 2016 to encourage people to join an estimated 50 million Catholics who already had a more formal relationship with the prayer network—better known by its former title, the Apostleship of Prayer which is more than 170 years old.
