CONSTRUCT THE CIVILIZATION OF LOVE

VATICAN CITY, DEC 15, 1999 (VIS) - "Commitment to building a 'civilization of love'," was the theme of John Paul II's catechesis during the general audience which was held this morning in the Paul VI Hall.

The Pope recalled that over the past few decades, the loss of a sense of God has coincided with "the advance of a nihilistic culture" that relativizes fundamental values, such as those of the family and the respect for life. "Paradoxically, the State is required to recognize as 'rights' many modes of behavior that threaten human life." Furthermore, "the ever greater refusal of the diverse simply because of its diversity, tests our conscience as believers."

In the face of the "culture of death," he went on, "our responsibility as Christians is expressed in the commitment of the 'new evangelization', one of whose most important fruits is the civilization of love." The center of this concept "is the recognition of the value of the human person and, concretely, of all human beings. ... The Christian view of the human being as the image of God entails that individual rights, by their nature, be respected by society, which does not create but simply recognizes them."

John Paul II said that, in order for this doctrine to go beyond mere words, social life must "be animated by the breath of authentic religious experience."

The Pope concluded: "Christianity makes its contribution towards the construction of a society of human proportions, safeguarding its soul and proclaiming the requirements of God's law, in which all the organizations and legislation of society must be anchored. ... This contribution of the Church comes about, above all, through the witness offered by Christians, especially the laity in their everyday lives."

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