“We should all be on guard, even Christian communities, against distorted views of femininity full of prejudice and preconceptions that are harmful to women’s inviolable dignity”. Today’s catechesis by Pope Francis focused on the reading of the Gospel of Matthew about the healing of the woman suffering from haemorrhages. It was for Pope Francis the starting point to reflect on “how women are often perceived and represented”. “How great a faith this woman had!”, the Pope began. “She thinks like this because she is moved by a great faith, by great hope, and with a touch of cleverness, she fulfils the desire of her heart. The desire to be saved by Jesus is so strong that she contravenes the precepts of the Mosaic Law. Indeed, not only that poor woman has been sick for many years, but she is also considered impure”. “That woman has been thrown away by society”, Pope Francis recalled. “And it is important to acknowledge her ‘thrown-away’ condition in order for us to understand her feelings. She knows that Jesus can free her from sickness and from those feelings of marginalisation and unworthiness that she has been experiencing for years. In brief, she knows, she feels that Jesus can save her”. And Jesus “sustains the faith of that woman whom everyone tries to avoid, and transforms her hope into salvation”.