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Skriven 2005-06-01 02:09:36 av Marc Lewis (1:396/45)
Ärende: Vatican Information Service (Press Release)
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Hello All!

                The following press release is Copyrighted by the
                          Vatican Information Service.
                ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                               VIS-Press releases

YOUNG PEOPLE MUST FEEL LOVED BY THE CHURCH

VATICAN CITY, MAY 31, 2005 (VIS) - Yesterday morning, the Pope received
participants in the 54th general assembly of the Italian Episcopal Conference.

In his address, which was made public yesterday afternoon, Benedict XVI
stressed Italy's "deep and living" relationship with the Christian faith, even
though, as in the rest of Europe, there exists a "culture based on purely
functional rationality, a culture that contradicts and tends to exclude
Christianity and, in general, the religious and moral traditions of humanity."

Nonetheless, he went on, in Italy the supremacy of such culture "is by no means
total, nor does it go unquestioned. In fact, even among those who do not share
our faith, or at least do not practice it, there are people who realize how
such a form of culture in fact constitutes a deadly mutilation of man and his
reason."

The Holy Father pointed out that Italy today still has "a dense network of
parishes" characterized by their vitality "despite great changes in society and
culture." On this matter, he stressed the importance of "strengthening
communion between parish structures and the various 'charismatic' groups that
have emerged over the last few decades and have a strong presence in Italy, in
order for the mission to reach all areas of life."

Speaking about the family, "a crucial question that calls for all our pastoral
attention," the Pope indicated that in Italy too the family "is exposed ... to
many risks and threats, of which we are all aware. In addition to the fragility
and internal instability of many marriages, there is a tendency in culture and
society to question the unique character and mission of the family based on
marriage."

Going on to mention the forthcoming Italian referendum on fertility treatment,
due to be held on June 12 and 13, Benedict XVI thanked bishops for their
"commitment" to "illuminating and motivating the choice of Catholics and of all
citizens. ... Precisely in its clarity and firmness, your commitment is a sign
of the solicitude of pastors for all human beings, who can never be reduced to
a means but are always an end, as our Lord Jesus Christ teaches us in His
Gospel, and as human reason itself tells us. ... We are not working for
Catholic interests but for the human being, God's creature."

After recalling that in August he will participate in World Youth Day, due to
be held in the German city of Cologne, the Pope recognized that young people
run the risk of being "tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of
doctrine. Therefore, they need to be helped to grow and mature in the faith:
this is the first service they must receive from the Church, especially from us
as bishops and from our priests."

"Many of them," he went on, "are not able to understand and accept all the
Church's teaching immediately, but precisely for this reason it is important to
reawaken within them the intention to believe with the Church, the belief that
this Church, animated and guided by the Spirit, is the true subject of the
faith." In order to reach this objective, Benedict XVI explained that young
people "must feel loved by the Church, in particular by us, bishops and
priests."

In this way, he concluded, "they will experience in the Church the friendship
and love the Lord holds for them, they will understand that in Christ truth
coincides with love, and in their turn they will learn to love the Lord, and to
have faith in His body which is the Church. This is the central point of the
great challenge of transmitting the faith to the young generations."
AC/.../ITALIAN EPISCOPAL CONFERENCE VIS 050531 (620)

SUMMARY

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