Vatican City, Jan 15, 2004 / 22:00 pm
Pope John Paul II called women to be aware of their true vocation and follow the mission given by God: to care for mankind.
This Holy Father received the participants in the national congress of the Italian Women's Center as they reflected on the theme, "Women as They Face the Expectations of the World."
He said that “mankind today feels with increasing intensity the need to offer a sense and a scope to the world in which new problems which generate insecurity and confusion present themselves every day."
"The current era," he continued, "marked by the rapid succession of events, has seen the growing participation of women in every sector of civil, economic and religious life, starting with the family, the first and most vital cell of human society. This calls for, on your part, a constant attention to emerging problems and a generous farsightedness in facing them."