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Skriven 2007-02-13 06:49:42 av Marc Lewis (1:396/45)
Ärende: Vatican Information Service - Press Release
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                               VIS-Press releases

VOLUNTEER WORK CAN BE A SCHOOL OF LIFE

VATICAN CITY, FEB 10, 2007 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received the National
Confederation of "Misericordie" of Italy, an association of charitable groups
that currently comprises 700 confraternities covering the entire national
territory. They were accompanied by numerous groups of blood donors, known as
"Fratres."

The confederation, "the oldest form of organized voluntary work in the world,"
has more than 100,000 volunteers, said the Pope, and he recalled how they are
"permanently committed to social work and healthcare. ... With your presence
and activities you contribute to spreading the Gospel of God's love to all
mankind."

"Today too - indeed even more so in our own time marked by so many human and
spiritual challenges - how necessary it is for Christians to proclaim with
works the merciful love of God! ... So many people do not readily welcome
Christ and His demanding teachings, yet they are not insensible to the witness
of those who communicate His message through the concrete witness of charity.
Love is a language that reaches directly to the heart and opens it to trust."

"Your association represents a typical example of the importance of conserving
one's own 'Christian roots' in Italy and in Europe. Today, the 'Misericordie'
are not an ecclesial group but their historical roots remain unmistakably
Christian. The name 'Misericordie' itself express this, as does the fact that
at your origins lies the initiative of a saint. And the roots, in order to
continue to produce fruit, must remain healthy and strong."

The Pope went on to observe that for this reason the confederation offers its
members "periods of training and formation to dedicate more profound study to
the human and Christian motivations of your activities. The risk, in fact, is
that voluntary work can be reduced to mere activism. If, on the other hand, the
spiritual dimension is kept alive, [voluntary work] can communicate to others
values well beyond what is materially necessary: it can offer people in
difficulty the gaze of love of which they have need."

Finally, Benedict XVI praised the "important educational function" of the
"Misericordie," which contribute to "maintaining an awareness of the most noble
values such as fraternity and disinterested assistance to those in difficulty."
He also highlighted how, especially for young people, volunteer work can be "a
school of life that helps them to give meaning and a more exalted and fruitful
value to their lives ."

The Pope concluded his address by recalling that tomorrow, February 11, is the
15th World Day of the Sick, dedicated this year to the terminally ill. And he
called upon Mary, Mother of Mercy, to "watch over all your confraternities. ...
May she help you to undertake your mission with genuine love, thus contributing
to spreading throughout the world the love of God, source of life for all human
beings."
AC/VOLUNTEER WORK/MISERICORDIEVIS 070212 (490)

SUMMARY

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