Nowadays the empowerment of women is often interpreted in terms of progress in career and finances when compared to men but two decades ago, the Vatican spoke about the dignity of women as being complemented by men.

This year, 20 years after the publication of Pope John Paul II's apostolic letter on the dignity and vocation of women, the message contained in it is being brought back to the world's attention on the occasion of the Marian Year.

"We have a year to help raise awareness about this letter and its message... the three main points (of which) include the importance of women to God, to the Church and to society," explained Marselle Delicata, chairman of an ad hoc committee set up by Archbishop Paul Cremona to organise activities marking the 20th anniversary of the letter.

Throughout this year the committee aims to reach out to the community to help people understand the meaning of the letter, known as Mulieris Dignitatem, and its relevance in today's world - where there were ongoing debates on women's role such as the nature of marriage, motherhood and their role in the Church and in society, among others.

But, Ms Delicata stressed, this message was not solely aimed at women as it was vital that men also understood the changes that women underwent over the past years as the two complemented one another and were to work together. But why was the letter being revived 20 years after it was written? Ms Delicata explained that the Pontifical Council of the Laity has urged lay people around the world to recall the letter and the Maltese Church accepted the invitation.

Since the letter was written, things have changed but it was important to evaluate that change and see whether sufficient progress was made. It was also important to look into how this progress was affecting the society these women formed part of.

The letter was still relevant as one of its main messages was to discover the complementarity of roles between man and woman and their reciprocity without competing against one another, she said.

The letter urges women to rediscover the value of motherhood not as a hindrance but as a gift; explore the wider aspect of spiritual motherhood; rediscover the value of femininity and not fall victim to unrealistic expectations.

Women were invited to discover the inner beauty without placing too much emphasis on physical appearance.

Ms Delicata said that the committee was willing to attend seminars and meetings of any organisations wishing to learn more about the Mulieris Dignitatem.

Committee member Christine Galea said the committee will be holding two seminars.

One on May 24 focusing on the various roles of women and the other on November 7 dealing with the juggling of a career with other commitments.

The letter can be viewed at www.vatican.va.