Vatican: Pope Francis condemned female mutilation and domestic violence against women today.
"The many forms of slavery, the commercialisation, and mutilation of the bodies of women, call out to us to be committed to defeat these types of degradation that reduce them to mere objects that are bought and sold," he said during a meeting hosted by the Vatican's Council for Culture.
He also denounced domestic violence against women.
"Although it is a symbol of life, the female body is unfortunately not rarely attacked and disfigured, even by those who should be its protector and life companion," he said.
The pope recently met with an Italian woman who underwent many operations after her boyfriend threw acid in her face to punish her because she wanted to leave him.
According to the United Nations, more than 140 million girls and women have undergone some form of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) around the world, mostly in Africa and the Middle East.
