Women are more courageous than men - Pope Francis

Pope Francis during his weekly general audience on Wednesday, said women are more courageous than men and that the humble counsel of courageous women should never be disregarded but rather embraced as advice full of God's divine wisdom.

Pope Francis use the biblical heroine Judith "a woman of great beauty and wisdom" as an example of trusting God amidst sufferings and difficulties, when it is easy to give up hope and fall into despair.

"This is my opinion but women are more courageous than men," said the Pope.

The pontiff said that the story of Judith demonstrates the importance of the "courageous counsel" of humble women, adding that their words contain "the wisdom of God" and should never be "dismissed as ignorant."