Bring this happened in italy, i want to bring its impact home to catholics here in the United States and to social issues here in the United States. Sure. I dont think its that controversial that he said to look at the rest of the bible and all the other issues and the Ten Commandments that god gave. Those things thought in the Ten Commandments, why so controversial to say that we need to look at lies and cheating and stealing and covet an the rest of the commandments we were considering the things we should be doing to live good christian life. In the context of the Roman Catholic hierarchy which is all male it absolutely is controversial. He had a bishop speaking out just in the past few weeks saying, why isnt he focusing more on abortion. That is incredible amount of insubordination within the Catholic Church that is the pope is being challenged also something to look at. We need to look at moving this in to deeds and not words, what are concrete things that the Roman Catholic hierarchy could do to follow the path set forward. Will the hierarchy who are the children, if you will, of benedict and Pope John Paul ii who were very conservative on these issues, will they change, because i have friend who left the Catholic Church just a couple of years ago because a young post who had just come to take over her very in flew enarish in virginia came in went around the room said who up here is using Birth Control raise your hands, you know who you are. She and her husband who were already have their two kids werent just wasnt relevant. They said we got to get out of here. And 98 of catholics use contraception at some point in their lives which is 99 of everyone else. So its very similar to normal patterns. T the fact is that a number of catholics have believe, one in ten people identified as excatholic. So this is an important is this message aimed at them . Of course. But the question is, will the Catholic Bishop take it seriously or stop trying i dont think that let me seek to your point, an important point about, first of all i think the words from a pope are amazing and this is authoritarian church. I wouldnt put words to the side. I take this notion about action. I think this pope has act in keeping with these words. He drives around in a small car, does not live in the big palace where the popes do, who is reaching out to people in every conceivable way. Washing the feet of the poor. Even more so than any any cardinal for that matter. Hes first living it, by example. Remember, who this is. This is a first jesuit pope. The jesuits is the great intellectuals of the Catholic Church he lived in the real world and he has had that real worldcom up to him in latin america and hes trying to internalize that as pope and whatever else he does he is going to be seen as a great human being. Last word. To say thats not necessarily why i love the Catholic Church we were talking about this, nothing to do with the issues because in high school the youth groups that the other churches were do you think these changes will do anything to bring fallen away catholic back to the churches in the United States . Yes, i think that is possible that him saying that they were going to start focusing on these other issues maybe less divisive issues could. I that i is the thrust that hes talking about focus. Hes talking about including this issue as part of broader focus. I dont think hes suggesting that the churchs position is changing, in fact he says that the teachings of the church are clear. One quick question. Will Christian Churches in the United States who have made obviously a huge focus, placed a huge focus on abortion, gay rights, will they be listening. You know, i would push back on that queion a little bit because im a christian i attend church host sundays when i can. Its very rare i dont think ive ever hearder is machine or homosexuality or i hear sermons of the love of jesus christ and how that pervades every aspect of my life. I dont know that that truly the focus of the churches. Think that our media it varies church to church. Ive been guests at churches where thats all theyre talking about. Let us know what you think. Please follow me on twitter bonnieerbe. From Church Doctrine to womens empowerment. As the u. N. Kicks off its 68th system General Assembly theres lots of speculation about a possible meeting of president obama and irans new president. But our focus is how and why this will be a pivotal session for women. The sessions theme is the post2015 development agenda. So next week member countries, ngos and philanthropists will try to design a way to meet the global needs of women and children in such areas as healthcare, gender equality, education and hiv aids. Theyll also brainstorm strategies to maximize contributions women and teens can make towards those Development Goals. Congresswoman norton, the whole worlds focus will be on whether the president meets with his counter part from iran and what is going on in syria, there are huge events going on around Women Development goals, gender equality and government and end eradication of poverty. Should those things be more of a focus and getting more attention . Well, this deadline of 2015 that has been put on issues of this kind are coming to the fore, new loader ship at the united nations. And i think that increasingly were seeing that the issues the world still has to work on are issues that flow from gender in one passion or the other. The women who take care of the children. The children that puts us back to women. The women who cannot contribute to the full economy there for live in poverty and have to perpetuate poverty. You cant escape the female feelings of all of this, i think that its coming to the fore at a time when just coming out of the Great Recession and people are willing to listen. I think that the real enemy to womens advancement aside from certain governments and other parts of the world who are truly antagonistic towards womens rights is poverty. We look at worldwide poverty. And lack of edz we know that the real hurdle in the way of poverty is a lack of Free Enterprise. Free enterprise has done more to bring people out of the poverty than any government system and so i would suggest that the u. N. Really consider part of their Development Goals and increasing access to Free Enterprise. When we were just talking about a kindler, gentler vatican, this is where he can make a difference because he has had interference with passing treaties that would help women, that would reduce violence. Concerns about contraception and abortion this would be wonderful place for the vatican to step up. Thats anxcellent point. Because we actually we at to the contrary cover the the 94 conference on population and development. Part of which was to get access to Birth Control and contraceptives to women who needed it. Every woman in the world who needed it as well as access to education and vatican came in and said, no, were opposed to this and blocked it. Thats unfortunate that it stops progress that access to contraception reduces Maternal Mortality and bngs along health benefits. Such a complicated issue. Other than the gender issue is going back to what you were talking about the economic issues, that has a lot to do with the political issue. Youre not going to see Free Enterprise a lot of times in a stable, Economic Situation until you have a sble political situation and the u. N. Or the u. S. Or other nations cant just bust in to the doors take over the country and put in place stable political situations so that they can have better education and lower unemployment and a whole other host of issues. But should the u. N. Be taking a strong stand on, for example, maternal and child health care. There are 220 million women in the world who have access to none of that and there are lots of i think almost 100,000 maternal deaths in child birth evy year in the world. Should that be more of an issue . Should the u. N should this be part of the u. N. s portfolio . Thats whole other debate what the won should or shouldnt be doing i think the u. N. Does a lot of things that we can debate that maybe the u. N. Shouldnt be getting involved in. Without there are other issues that theyre looking in to like the hiv aids things, those are very wonderful, Higher Education issues, but i think its great for nations to come together figure out how we solve those problems. I think you look at infant mortality or Maternal Health any measure of health is almost across the board better off in countries that are wealthr and countries that are more economically developed. We talk about dollars and cents it seems separated from Human Development its really not when these countries have stronger more stable economy. Join us tuesday at 2pm eastern time for a special interactive screening of our ttc documentary saving women and girls. Well hear from Melinda Gates and other leaders about their commitment to womens reproductive health, and show you what its like for women overseas who have no access to Maternal Health. Log in using the url on the screen or visit our website for more information on our website. Behind the headlines wadjda, the first film by a saudi woman and the first feature film shot in saudi arabia opened in theatres across the country this weekend. To the contrary spoke with director Haifaa Almansour about why and how she wrote and directed this film. Wadjda is the story of a young saudi girl who just wants to ride a bicycle. Its also about love and freedom in a sometimes repressive and sexist society. Its a film about hope, about embracing potential, and it just moves away from it, and pictures arab women as victims and helpless, because an image like this does not change and does not contribute. And i felt that depicting women as survivors, as people who can change their destiny if they work hard. And it is a tough place like anywhere else in the world sometimes, its tougher for women for sure. But it is very important to give them those inspiring characters that are willing to fight, and change things in their favor. The movie was filmed in saudi arabia with the participation and endorsement of the saudi government, a very unusual thing as the country is known for its repressive policies towards women. Almansour had to direct the movie indirectly, from a nearby van. Hidden from sight, she saw her cast and crew on monitors and instructed them via radio. For me it was very frustrating and i was really sometimes i wanted to jump out of that van, and its confined, you know . And i wanted really to change things and feel the blocking and change where the actors are. But im very i feel good that i was able to film the first film in saudi. And for me, it wasnt to clash with people as much as to be engaged with the art and bring something, tolerance, and film and all that. And if we have to be in a van, we will be in a van. Its ok. Its worth it. Almansour may have been confined to a van, but wadjda was riding a bicycle. For almansour and other filmmakers such as steven spielberg, the bike is a powerful symbol. A lot of films have a bicycle at the heart and i felt that that will bring with it a lot. It is also about the mobility and freedom and being modern in a way different than whawe have in saudi. That is why i also had a young girl to be the protagonist. Because i want her mobility, her freedom, i maybe i am in a van, but she at least can go. I can film her while shes running and enjoying the open air. Another theme she tackled in wadjda is polygamy. It is allowed men to take up to four wives in the society. She refused to be a second wife, and she would prefer to be a single woman, and fight. And it is hard to be a single woman in saudi. You cannot go out without permission from a man. But shes willing to be that individual who fights for herself. Despite worldwide acclaim, wadjda is controversial in almansours home country. More traditional people are really they dont want to see women making a film or, like, about empowering women and all that. You will always find that resistance. But younger people are really happy and they are a lot of them students like in the u. S. And everything and they take pictures of the poster or whatever they are passing, and they tweet it almansour grew up in a middle class saudi home in a small town. One of 12 children, she was allowed access to books, film and television. She says shes not trying to provoke or disrespect those who adhere to a more conservative culture. Rather, she simply wants to be heard. I was more of trying to tell them an emotional story, and tell them how it feels when you are a little girl who has this Amazing Energy and stuff, and maybe you cannot do things because you are a woman, and have people believe in her. And maybe if they have a daughter or like a sister they give her that support. Thank you for joining the panel manal omar. How significant is this in the world of islamic women . I credibly significant. Not only terms but for saudi arabia its very significant for the nation as a whole, but what i particularly admire is her approach, not trying to be controversial, shes not trying to marginalize, shes really just trying to be heard and bring out a very essential topic that is important for saudi arabia, important for the region and islamic world. She doing it quite gracefully. Tell me the significance of the saudi arabia government giving her permission to shoot the film there, that is pretty watershed moment, too. It is. Its very ground breaking. Not only for women but i think for all saudi in the world of art and film making. It takes to the point of why she handle the it gracefully. It means that it wont be banned inside arabia, it is very important to have viewing to initiate conversation. Also really brings a very crucial element which is that womens rights in Civil Society doesnt have to be antigovernment. You can work with government to have incremental change which i think is most important thing for women throughout the islamic world. And since they dont have movie theaters in saudi arabia how are women going to see this film . I that i one of the things that i did a few years ago when he did train ink saudi arabia was surprised at the level of education and the level of leadership that saudi women have. Its no longer your grandmothers gulf. I think that you will see private viewings, youll have discussions, saudi women as she said very in touch with social heed i cant it will be a huge push out for more of the local Community Organizing standpoint. Weve seen some gradual relaxations in saudi arabia, women electedo whatever council there is, i wonder if this is the saudi government seeing this as part of its continuum just enough but not too much and her delicate handling of it in keeping with tha the independent womens forum which you are a member of has done a lot to work with islamic women. Whats the reaction from conservative women . Im very excited about this film. I hope that it has implications in the United States as well. I hope that Many Americans get a chance to see this film for several reasons. One i think its a refreshing perspective about the world and the plight of women in other countries and it helps us to recognize how blessed we are to be american women. And secondly, also important, the makers of this film we have a lot to learn from them. As american women. Because as you heard in the interview the director says victim hood mentality dont advance women. I think its inspiration tall, the film maker herself is also instar operational. There are deeper truths. Every single time a woman takes a deep breath and tells a story of women like her, i believe that has radical power to advance society. Thats whats happening with this film. Its just beautiful. Youve been a member of the american womens movment your whole career and you worked it, the american Womens Movement was lot more open, in your face, in the 60s and 70s, bra burning. But are there parallels between our Womens Movement and theirs . I believe there are. In fact it goes back to that truth of telling your story which is something that has happened with maybe some more controversial feminist from the past. There was also one, is that didnt take that confrontation tall approach just like today there are feminist who take a very controversial approach there are many of us who just simply are sharing our stories and pushing for change. But i think that each is emerging in the context of own culture and what works best. I think that the approach that american women took in the 60s were directly with our culture. Just as what happened in saudi arabia matches how women will gradually get their freedom there. Understand that this current king of saudi arabia is very sympathetic from that cultural perspective but also very old and a lot of women leaders, islamic feminists are worried about whether is going to happen when he passes. Tell us about that. I think thats true. One thing is, the saudi women have been in credit in below bold, lets not forget the protests where they have been driving in public which may not seem like a big deal, but there is very vocal and bold hooch. A multidirectional approach is very important it compliments other approaches which may not be as controversial. I think that importance is the grass roots so that support that is initiated by the king will be more long lasting the people on the ground believe in it. Thank you. Thats it for this edition of to the contrary. Please follow me on twitter bonnieerbe a