The Vatican has called for women to have a greater role in efforts to build peace, saying their leadership is especially important as conflicts and divisions continue to affect communities around the world.
The Holy See's Permanent Observer Mission to the United Nations made the appeal in a statement on 2 September during the UN's High-Level Forum on the Implementation of the Programme of Action on a Culture of Peace, held at the UN headquarters in New York.
The annual forum, which has taken place since 2012, supports the goals of a 1999 UN General Assembly resolution promoting peace and non-violence. This year's meeting placed particular emphasis on the contribution of women's leadership to building a culture of peace.
The UN's concept note for the forum said that a culture of peace involves more than simply ending conflict and violence. It also requires justice, gender equality and inclusive decision-making.
The document called for greater and safer participation by women in political and peace processes, as well as better access to justice. It also warned that the need for a lasting culture of peace has become increasingly urgent amid growing divisions around the world.
The Holy See mission echoed those concerns, saying the international community was facing a growing "culture of power" in which war is becoming normalised and patterns of behaviour and relationships are changing.
The Vatican mission argued that this trend makes diplomacy based on respectful dialogue increasingly important. It called for efforts to promote a culture of peace capable of challenging what it described as the current "culture of power".
Women, the mission said, should have a much greater role in efforts to rebuild societies affected by violence and disorder.
The statement referred to both the UN's 1999 resolution on peace and Pope Leo XIV's encyclical Magnifica Humanitas. Quoting from the papal document, the Holy See mission said that recognising the equal dignity and rights of men and women must also lead to practical changes in areas such as legislation, employment, education and social and political responsibilities.
It also stressed the importance of ensuring that women's contributions are heard and valued within society.
The Holy See mission said closing the gap between equality in principle and equality in practice would give women greater opportunities to contribute to peacebuilding and the protection of life.
It described women as potential "artisans of peace and guardians of life", arguing that their fuller participation could help restore trust between nations and strengthen a culture of peace.
Based on reporting by UCA News.
