“In Europe there’s a lot of tension between those who place in question the rights of the family, and those who defend its traditional values. This often leads to a paradox in European policies, because on the one hand the precedence of human rights over everything else is proclaimed, and on the other these same rights are ‘modified’ according to the needs and the policies put into practice”. The point is made by Janne Haaland Mattlary, former Norwegian deputy foreign minister, and now professor of international relations at the Faculty of Political Sciences of the University of Oslo; she is the second Catholic ever to have formed part of the Norwegian government. With reference to the document published on 31 July by the Congregation for the doctrine of the faith, with the title “Letter to the bishops of the Catholic Church on the collaboration of men and women in the Church and in the world”, Haaland Mattlary declares that “the role of women is fundamental at this time of crisis. They are asked to participate and be present in society. From this point of view the role of women in politics is essential. It has been demonstrated, in fact, that when there’s female participation in the political life of a country, family policies are promoted to a greater degree, and the issues that concern, in particular, education and family life are taken more seriously; these are questions on which men have more difficulty in pronouncing”. “On the other hand – she says a woman’s essential role is within the family, as mother and the bringer up of her children. By supporting the family, by supporting women, we also reduce the social costs, because the various forms of social hardship are reduced. The family is the essential nucleus of society”.
