Washington D.C., Aug 1, 2004 / 22:00 pm
The new Vatican document on the collaboration of men and women is "a timely reminder of both the equality of men and women and also of the distinctive difference between them with which God endowed them in creation,” said Bishop Wilton D. Gregory, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
The "Letter to the Bishops of the Catholic Church on the Collaboration of Men and Women in the Church and in the World" was released Saturday in Rome by the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith,
"This relatively brief document is filled with concepts that are essential for our society today to take seriously and to live by," said Bishop Gregory in a statement released yesterday.
The document reminds its readers of the fundamental equality between men and women as human persons. It also draws attention to trends in contemporary thinking that question the fundamental nature of the distinction between men and women or seek to diminish it.