Remember women, Pope tells historians

Castelgandolfo - Historians should be "less one-sided", pay more attention to the contributions of women, and view the UN conference on women - to be held in Peking in September - as an opportunity to "rewrite history in a manner less one-sided", Pope John Paul said yesterday.

"Unfortunately, history has given more attention to the extraordinary and resounding events than to the daily work rhythms of life,'' he said. "The story that comes out is almost always about the accomplishments of men."

The Pope has used recent addresses to portray the Vatican as a champion of women's rights and apparently to prepare for a backlash over such issues as abortion from feminists at the conference. AP