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Skriven 2006-01-18 21:44:26 av Marc Lewis (1:396/45)
Ärende: Vatican Information Service - Press Release
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                The following press release is Copyrighted by the
                          Vatican Information Service.
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                               VIS-Press releases

DO NOT OBSCURE THE VALUE OF THE LEGITIMATE FAMILY

VATICAN CITY, JAN 12, 2006 (VIS) - This morning, Benedict received Piero
Marrazzo, president of the regional administration of Lazio, Italy; Walter
Veltroni, mayor of the city of Rome; and Enrico Gasbarra, president of the
provincial administration of Rome, for the traditional exchange of New Year
greetings.

In his address to the three men and their entourages, the Pope highlighted how
the people of Rome and Lazio had clearly expressed their affection for John
Paul II during the period of his final illness and death. He also thanked the
authorities and institutions for their "great contribution" in welcoming the
millions of people who came to Rome "to pay their final homage to the lamented
Pontiff, and on the occasion of my own election to the See of Peter."

That "profound spiritual experience of faith and of prayer, of brotherhood and
of rediscovery of the things that make our lives worthwhile and rich in
meaning," must also bear fruit within "the civil community, its duties and its
multiple responsibilities and relationships."

Going on to refer to the family, the Holy Father recalled that for three years
it has represented the central focus of the pastoral activities of the diocese
of Rome, "in order to help [the family] face the reasons behind the crises and
distrust present in our own culture, giving it a clearer and firmer awareness
of its own nature and tasks."

Benedict XVI then recalled the words he had used in June 2005 during the
congress of the diocese of Rome, to the effect that "marriage and the family
are not in fact a chance sociological construction, the product of particular
historical and financial situations. On the other hand, the question of the
right relationship between man and woman is rooted in the essential core of the
human being and it is only by starting from here that its response can be
found. ... Marriage as an institution is thus not an undue interference of
society or of authority. The external imposition of form on the most private
reality of life is instead an intrinsic requirement of the covenant of conjugal
love."

He continued: "What we are talking about here are not norms particular to
Catholic morals, but elementary truths that concern our shared humanity. To
respect them is essential for the good of the individual and of society. These
truths, then, appeal both to your responsibility as public administrators and
to your normative duties."

The Pope referred to the need to support young couples in forming a family and
in educating their children, bearing in mind the cost of rent and of nursery
schools, adding: "It is a grave error to obscure the value and the functions of
the legitimate family based on marriage, attributing to other forms of union
inappropriate forms of legal recognition, for which there is no real social
need."

The Holy Father also asked that attention be given to "the protection of
nascent human life," that there be no lack of "concrete assistance" to pregnant
women experiencing difficulties, and that there be no introduction of drugs
"that hide in one way or another the severity of abortion as a choice against
life. In an aging society," he added, "help for the elderly and all the complex
problems concerning the health care of citizens become ever more important."

After encouraging the administrators to continue with the efforts they are
making in these matters, Benedict XVI stressed that "continuous scientific and
technological developments in the field of healthcare and the commitment to
contain costs should be promoted while maintaining firm the principle of the
central importance of the sick person."

In the face of so many "cases of psychological suffering and illness," the Holy
Father stressed the importance of giving "adequate help to families who often
find themselves having to face extremely difficult situations." He concluded by
expressing his satisfaction at the "growth over these years of various forms of
collaboration between ecclesial volunteer organizations and the public
administration of Rome city, province and region in the work of alleviating old
and new forms of poverty which, unfortunately, afflict a large part of the
population, especially many immigrants."
AC/FAMILY:LIFE/ROME:PROVINCE:REGION VIS 060112 (710)

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