POPE FRANCIS
GENERAL AUDIENCE
Saint Peter's Square
Wednesday, 15 April 2015
Dear Brothers and Sisters: Continuing our catechesis on the family, today we reflect on the complementarity between man and woman. Scripture tells us that “God created man in his own image… male and female he created them” (Gen 1:27). Man and woman bear the image and likeness of God not only as individuals, but also together. In God’s plan, sexual differentiation is not ordered to subordination, but to communion and procreation. This reciprocity brings harmony and enrichment to the human family. But it also presents a constant challenge; that men and women learn how to speak to one another, and to respect and love each other. Nowadays, we sense the responsibility to do more in favour of women, recognizing the weight and authority of their voices in society and the Church. We must also ask ourselves to what extent society’s loss of faith in God is related to the crisis of that covenant. The challenge faced by the Church, and by all believers and families, is to rediscover the beauty of God’s plan, the imprint of his image in the covenant between man and woman.
