Below we publish the Pope’s Video with the prayer intention for April spread through the Pope’s World Prayer Network on the theme “For the role of women”: We pray that the dignity of women and their wealth, and may the discrimination to which they are victims in various parts of the world cease:

Text of the Holy Father’s Video

In many parts of the world, women are treated as the first waste material.

There are countries where women are prohibited from accessing aid to start a business or go to school. Even in those places, they endure laws that force them to dress in a certain way.

And genital mutilations are still in use in many countries.

Let’s not deny women their voice. Let’s not deny all those abused women a voice. They are exploited, they are marginalized.

In words, we all agree that men and women have the same dignity as persons. But in practice that does not happen.

Governments need to commit to eliminating discriminatory laws everywhere and working to ensure women’s human rights are guaranteed.

Let’s respect women. Let’s respect them in their dignity, in their fundamental rights. And if we don’t, our society will not advance.

Let us pray that the dignity and wealth of women are recognized in all cultures, and that the discrimination they suffer in various parts of the world ends.

[Original text: Spanish]