On International Women’s Day last March 8, Pope Francis conveyed this message on his official Twitter account: “Let us pray together so that women, every woman, may be respected, protected, and esteemed. Violence against women and mothers is violence against God himself, who from a woman, from a mother, took on our human condition.” This message is clear as a cloudless day, that there is no place and reason for violence toward anyone, most especially to women. And during a general audience with pilgrims at St. Peter’s Square, also on March 8, the Pope reiterated the same message when he said, “On International Women's Day, I think of all women. I thank them for their commitment to building a more humane society, through their ability to grasp reality with a creative eye and a tender heart." The Pope, who just marked the 10th anniversary of his election as pontiff on March 13, took the opportunity to extol women when he wrote a preface for a book on women leadership. “Women’s issues are particularly important to me. I have referred to them in many of my speeches, emphasizing how much still must be done to fully empower women. Among other things, I have stated that man and woman are not equal; one is not superior to the other, no. It is just that man does not bring harmony: it is she who brings that harmony that teaches us to caress, to love tenderly, and who makes of the world something beautiful,” the Pope wrote. The Pope’s words are not merely lip service. In fact, according to Vatican News, the number of women employed at the Vatican has “risen significantly in the last 10 years.” “Never before has the number of female em-ployees and their share of the total staff been higher... the number of women in Vatican leadership positions has also grown under Pope Francis.” According to the report, there are currently 1,165 female employees working for the Pope, compared to just 846 in the year he took office in 2013. “The percentage of women in the total workforce at the Vatican rose in the current pontificate from just under 19.2 to 23.4 percent today. The increase in female employees is more pronounced if one looks exclusively at the Holy See. Here, the proportion of women has risen from 19.3 to 26.1 per-cent over the past 10 years. This means that more than one in four employees at the Holy See is now a woman.” In the 10 years of his pontificate, Pope Francis has “increased the presence, visibility, and influence of women in the Vatican,” writing before that it was a challenge for him to "create spaces where women can take leadership in a way that allows them to shape the culture and ensures that they are valued, respected, and recognized." By setting a course in favor of women, Vatican News concluded that Pope Francis ultimately “wants Rome to become a model for the universal Church in this respect.” As a reminder to all, especially to those who consider themselves as Christians, this is what the Pope asks you to do: “Let us not leave women who are victims of abuse, exploitation, marginalization, and undue pressure. Let us be the voice of their pain and strongly denounce the injustices they are subjected to.”