On March 15, Archbishop Bernardito Auza, Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the UN and Head of Delegation to the 63rd Session of the Commission on the Status of Women, gave an intervention on the theme of the Session, dedicated to “Social protection systems, access to public services and sustainable infrastructure for gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls.”

In his statement, Archbishop Auza said that any program to strengthen society and women’s role in it must consider women’s concrete situations in the family, the vulnerable situations many women find themselves in, and the need to continuously promote the full flourishing of women. He mentioned that women’s contribution to the wealth of society are often overlooked by social policy, particularly their contributions to unpaid care work. Many women, he continued, suffer stigmatization and economic disadvantages for being pregnant or parenting mothers and widows. Social welfare programs must give them the recognition and social protection they deserve, he added. He spoke to the violation and degradation many women endure and underlined how women must be protected from violence along every stage of their life cycle. He concluded by saying that through women’s “feminine genius,” they enrich the world’s understanding, promote peace, and make human relations more honest and authentic.   

The statement can be found here.