"How much violence against women! Enough is enough! To hurt a woman is to insult God", laments Pope Francis

By Frances D'Emilio -

In his New Year's wishes to the world, Pope Francis on Saturday encouraged people to focus on the good that unites them and condemned violence against women while acknowledging that the coronavirus pandemic has left many people scared and struggling. in the midst of economic inequality.

"We continue to live in uncertain and difficult times due to the pandemic," said Francisco, "

, dangers derived from the ecological crisis, injustices and global economic imbalances."

Thousands of Rome residents and tourists, wearing masks as protection against the coronavirus, gathered in St. Peter's Square on a sunny and mild day to hear Francis deliver his message for world peace, cheering the pope during his speech.

The pope kisses the Holy Book during New Year's Mass in St. Peter's Basilica, in the Vatican, on January 1, 2022. Andrew Medichini / AP

Reaching peace "requires concrete actions

,

said the pope, "is built by being attentive to the little ones, promoting justice, with the courage to forgive, thus putting out the fire of hatred." 

Francis also encouraged everyone to take a positive attitude towards current times, "one that always sees, in the Church and in society, not the evil that divides us, but the good that unites us."

Earlier on Saturday, in his homily during a mass in St. Peter's Basilica, Francis publicly welcomed 2022 by

, and compared violence against women to an offense against God.

The Catholic Church marks January 1 as a day dedicated to world peace, and the basilica ceremony is a tribute to the special place of the Virgin Mary in faith as the mother of Jesus.

Mothers "know how to overcome obstacles and disagreements and instill peace," said Francisco, "in this way they transform problems into opportunities for rebirth and growth."

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"They can do this because they know how to hold the various threads of life together," said the pontiff, "we need people like that, capable of weaving the threads of union rather than a barbed wire of conflict and division." 

Francisco asked to join efforts to protect women.

“How much violence is directed against women!

Stop!

, who from a woman approached our humanity ”, said the pope, referring to the Christian belief that Jesus was the son of God.

The pope said that women, including mothers, "look at the world not to exploit it but to make it have life."

"They are women who, seeing with the heart, can combine dreams and aspirations with concrete reality, without falling into abstraction or sterile pragmatism," he indicated.

Although he vowed during his papacy to give women a greater role in the church, Francis also made it clear that the priesthood is reserved for men.

With the exception of the pope and the members of a choir made up of children and adults, the participants of the mass masks as part of the precautions to stop the spread of COVID-19.

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Francis, who is 85 years old and vaccinated against the coronavirus, wore a surgical mask during a New Year's Eve prayer service presided over by a Vatican cardinal in the basilica.

It was unusual as he has avoided wearing masks during public ceremonies during the two years of the pandemic.

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In a message on the social network Twitter published early Saturday morning, Francisco explained what he hopes to achieve in terms of achieving peace in the world and his strategy in this regard. 

"

, starting from the hearts of people and relationships in the family, then within society and with the environment, and even relationships between peoples and nations," he tweeted.