Vatican City, May 21, 2018 / 08:53 am
Pope Francis celebrated the first feast of Mary, Mother of the Church Monday saying that without the emphasis placed on motherhood, the Church would be isolated, composed of no more than "old bachelors."
"Without this dimension, it sadly becomes a church of old bachelors, who live in this isolation, incapable of love, incapable of fecundity. Without the woman, the Church does not advance – because she is a woman. And this attitude of woman comes from Mary, because Jesus willed it so."
In his homily during Mass May 21, Pope Francis said "the Church is feminine, because it is 'church' and 'bride,'" both of which are grammatically feminine in the Italian language.
The Church is also a mother, "she gives life," he said, adding that only a feminine Church would be able to have a truly "fruitful attitude" in accordance with the will of God, who chose "to be born of a woman in order to teach us the path of woman."