Domestic abuse against women has been condemned by Pope Francis as “nearly demonic,” in some of his toughest words yet on the subject.
On Sunday, the head of the Catholic Church made the comment during a show on Italy’s TG5 network.
He talked to a panel of four persons with diverse backgrounds, including a domestic violence survivor.
He bemoaned the “very high” number of women “beaten and abused in their homes.”
“The problem is that it’s nearly diabolical to me because it takes advantage of someone who can’t defend herself and can only [attempt to] resist the blows,” Pope Francis stated. “It’s embarrassing. It’s quite degrading.”
He met with a woman called Giovanna, who stated she and her four children had fled a violent family.
The Pope went on to say that women who have been abused haven’t lost their dignity.
“I see dignity in you because you wouldn’t be here if you didn’t have dignity,” he said Giovanna. “Keep your gaze fixed on the Blessed Mother and her image of bravery.”
Pope Francis has made multiple remarks on domestic violence since the start of the coronavirus outbreak.
Many individuals are confined with their abusers during lockdown, which has raised the number of cases of abuse in a number of nations.
According to a UN research covering 13 countries, half of the women polled indicated they had been subjected to some type of violence since the outbreak began.
According to police numbers released last month in Italy, over 90 incidents of violence against women occur every day, with 62 percent of these instances including domestic abuse.
Even in the midst of the pandemic, Pope Francis told Giovanna, it was possible to have hope.
“You’re setting an example of resistance, a lesson in calamity resistance,” he remarked. “You’re doing better than you were before.”
