A Protestant Tribute to the Pope

One of the most tragic fallacies of feminism is the cant that Christianity is a source of oppression of women. As my tribute to Pope John Paul, I offer his own words, which provide powerful proof of this falsehood:

. . .Without the contribution of women, society is less alive, culture impoverished, and peace less stable. Situations where women are prevented from developing their full potential and from offering the wealth of their gifts should therefore be considered profoundly unjust, not only to women themselves but to society as a whole.

…In fact, woman has a genius all her own, which is vitally essential to both society and the Church. It is certainly not a question of comparing woman to man, since it is obvious that they have fundamental dimensions and values in common. However, in man and in woman these acquire different strengths, interests and emphases and it is this very diversity which becomes a source of enrichment.

…[W]oman is endowed with a particular capacity for accepting the human being in his concrete form….Even this singular feature which prepares her for motherhood, not only physically but also emotionally and spiritually, is inherent in the plan of God who entrusted the human being to woman in an altogether special way…

Pope John Paul II

“Society and Church Need Genius of Woman”

L’Osservatore Romano

Weekly Edition in English

26 July 1995, p. 1

Of course, I realize that in some quarters (hello, Harvard) this profound acknowledgement of the differences between men and women is prima facie evidence of being a fascist.

Me, I’m good with having a “genius” of my own. And this affirmation of motherhood, that “[W]oman is endowed with a particular capacity for accepting the human being in his concrete form. . .” is just beautiful.

** With thanks to Charlotte Allen at Inkwell and the Anchoress for the quote.