Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) - “The times and situations change, but the Pope's love and concern for those who live in this land, distinguished by a great living heritage of Christianity, never weakens”. With these sentiments the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, on January 10 in the Vatican addressed members of the administration of Lazio Region and the municipality and province of Rome, in the annual audience for the exchange of new year wishes. In his speech the Holy Father identified certain situations of emergency requiring special attention from public administrators.
Considering the centrality of the human person and the present situation the region of Rome faces an education emergency, Benedict XVI remarked reiterating what he said in June 2007when he addressed a Meeting of the Diocese of Rome. “It would appear to be increasingly more difficult to present young generations in a convincing manner with sound certainties and criteria for life. Parents and teachers are well aware of this and because of this are often tempted to abdicate their educational duties. Moreover they themselves, in the present day social and cultural context impregnated with relativism and also nihilism, have difficulty finding reliable points of reference to sustain and guide them in the mission as educators and in their conduct”.
The emergency of formation of persons has serious consequences on the foundations of harmony in society and on the future. The Pope said he knows that Rome diocese is “giving special attention to this difficult task”, and he encouraged the civil institutions, each according to its area of responsibility to increase efforts “to tackle the educational emergency at different levels”. In this regard the Pope stressed the priority of ensuring respect and support “for the family founded on marriage”, seeing the “persistent and threatening attacks and misunderstandings with regard to this fundamental human and social reality”. Public administrators are called to offer families “convinced and concrete support, in the awareness that in doing so they will promote the common good”.
The Pope mentioned three more situations of emergency and social injustice. First of all increasing poverty “which makes life difficult for many individuals and families”, and of which the causes lie, according to the Pontiff, in the increased cost of living and rent, shortage of work, inadequate wages and pensions. Then the problem of insecurity “serious degradation in some parts of Rome” calls for continual and concrete initiatives “with the twofold and inseparable finality of guaranteeing security for citizens and ensuring for all, especially immigrants, the minimum indispensable for an honest and dignified life ” the Pope said.
The third emergency consists in the often “dramatic”. situation of a number Catholic health structures, “even very prestigious and nationally renowned for their excellence”. Benedict XVI urged administrators not to penalise Catholic hospitals “in the distribution of resources, not because they belong to the Church, but so as not to undermine the indispensable service they offer the people”. (S.L.) (Agenzia Fides 11/1/2008; righe 38, parole 532)
