Pope Francis has condemned “verbal and physical violence towards women” and called for “respect” while addressing large crowds on a visit to Colombia.
The Argentine pontiff, the first Pope to visit the country in over three decades, said that the Bible celebrates women who are strong and influential.
“How many women, in silence, have persevered alone?” he asked those gathered in the city of Villavicencio, Colombia, where the Pope travelled to for five days on a trip to show support for the country’s peace process.
He was repeatedly interrupted by applause as he told listeners at a huge open-air mass on Friday that many communities “are still weighed down with patriarchal and chauvinistic customs”.
Read the full BBC story here.
Photograph by Fiona Basile
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