Man and woman are different and complementary, Pope emphasizes in audience

April 15, 2015

Continuing his catechesis on the family, Pope Francis devoted his April 15 general audience to “the difference and complementarity” of man and woman.

Stating that man and woman “as a couple” are created in the image of God, the Pope said that “the difference between man and woman is not for opposition or subordination, but for communion and procreation.”

Modern culture has introduced “new spaces, new freedoms, and new depths” for enriching the understanding of the difference between man and woman, but also has introduced “much skepticism.”

Commenting on the “so-called theory of gender,” the Pope said that “removing the difference [between man and woman] is the problem, not the solution.”

“The woman is able to see things with different eyes that complement the thinking of men,” he added, as he called for a greater respect for the weight and authority of the voices of women.

Recalling that the account of the fall linked estrangement from the heavenly Father and conflict between man and woman, the Pope called upon Christians to “rediscover the beauty” of God’s design for the covenant of man and woman.

 

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Further information:

• L’Udienza Generale (Holy See Press Office)
• Pope: "more weight and more authority must be given to women” (Vatican Radio)