Mulieris Dignitatem
- Pope John Paul II
- Libreria Editrice Vaticana
- Vatican City
- 1988-08-15 AD
Mulieris Dignitatem examines women’s dignity and vocation through creation, the Incarnation, Mary, and the Church’s Marian Year. Men and women are equally made in God’s image, rational and free, yet created for a relational “unity of the two” that reflects Trinitarian communion. Mary’s fiat and title as Theotókos reveal the active dignity of feminine cooperation with grace; her service shows that receiving God’s gift and serving others are forms of royal vocation. Christ’s treatment of women in the Gospels challenges the prejudices of his age, honors their faith, and brings them into the life of the Kingdom. The reflection contrasts this original communion with the domination introduced by sin, then presents redemption as the restoration of mutual self-gift. Motherhood and virginity become spiritual realities in the Church, which receives life from Christ while remaining faithful to him. Marriage is interpreted through the spousal mystery of Christ and the Church: the husband’s headship must take the form of sacrificial love, and both spouses are called to mutual subjection and equal dignity. All baptized men and women share Christ’s priestly, prophetic, and kingly mission, while the ministerial priest represents the Bridegroom sacramentally. Woman’s “genius” is located in the order of love and a special care for the human person, a contribution the Church asks society to recognize for the common good.
Read more