It Takes the Vatican

…to raise the consciousness of the world.

The Vatican’s representative at UN headquarters in New York has condemned discrimination against women and girls, and appealed for “a fresh appreciation of authentically feminine values in the heart of our societies.”

Speaking to a session of the Commission on the Status of Women, Archbishop Celestino Migliore said, “The mistreatment of women is a longstanding reality in many places and a disregard for the age and vulnerability of young girls in particular is especially repugnant.” This mistreatment, he said, can often be traced to traditions that assign an inferior status to women, and see female infants especially as a burden.

When society sees baby girls as a burden, the archbishop observed, “abortion often considered a tool of liberation, is ironically employed by women against women. Even those allowed to live are sometimes considered as if they were a piece of property best disposed of as soon as possible.”

Women are particularly vulnerable to many sorts of abuse, Archbishop Migliore continued. He observed: “Women bear the brunt of the world’s child prostitution, sexual exploitation, abuse, domestic violence, child labor, and human trafficking.”

The challenge facing world leaders, he said, is go beyond sensational reports about the exploitation of women, and address the ultimate causes.

In other words, dare to face the truth about universal human rights. Look who’s really the leading advocate for women.