The human rights activist said Friday religious authorities perpetuate misguided doctrines of male superiority, from the Catholic Church forbidding women from becoming priests to some African cultures mutilating the genitals of young girls.
Carter said the doctrines, which he described as theologically indefensible, contribute to a political, social and economic structure where political leaders passively accept violence against women, a worldwide sex slave trade and inequality in the workplace and classroom.
"There is a great aversion among men leaders and some women leaders to admit that this is something that exists, that it's serious and that it's it troubling and should be addressed courageously," Carter said at an international conference on women and religion.
The 39th president is hosting representatives from 15 countries at The Carter Center, the human rights organization he launched in 1982 after leaving the White House.
More...
Two women reported to be relatives of assassinated Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani who were arrested...
The annual March of Return, which typically draws tens of thousands of Palestinians inside Israel, was...
A display of 20,000 teddy bears appeared on the National Mall in Washington, DC, on Thursday...
Israeli forces dispersed a student protest in the village of Umm al-Khair on Sunday, after barring...
