POPE CALLS FOR JURIDICAL AND ECONOMIC PARITY BETWEEN SCHOOLS

VATICAN CITY, OCT 30, 1999 (VIS) - In St. Peter's Square today, the Holy Father addressed am estimated 200,000 participants in the meeting of Italian Catholic schools. The event marked the conclusion of the national assembly which has been held in Rome this week.

Having recalled the theme of the meeting, "Towards a plan for schooling on the threshold of the 21st century," the Pope affirmed that "the experience of Catholic schools carries within itself a great heritage, one of culture, of educational knowledge, of attention to the figure of the child, the adolescent, the youth; one of mutual support with families; of the capacity to grasp in advance, with the intuition that springs from love, the new needs and problems that arise with changing times."

John Paul II then went on to refer to the difficulties encountered by many families when choosing a non-state school, and made clear his regret at the "prestigious and worthy institutions which, year after year, are obliged to close.

"The main problem to be overcome, in order to escape a situation that is becoming ever more intolerable, is undoubtedly that of the full recognition of juridical and economic parity between state and non-state schools, overcoming deep-seated resistance that is alien to the basic values of the European cultural tradition. Steps recently taken in this direction, although noteworthy in certain aspects, unfortunately are still insufficient."

The Pope made an urgent request to those responsible in the political and institutional fields "that the right of families and the young to full liberty in their choice of education be truly respected." Furthermore, it is necessary that efforts be made "to improve the quality of Catholic schooling and to avoid restricting still more its presence in the country."

Prior to his address, the Holy Father made direct television connections with Palestine, Sarjevo and Madrid. Participating in these links were students from different religions who study in Catholic schools.

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