PROMOTE MORAL VALUES AND SOLID ETHICAL PRINCIPLES

VATICAN CITY, DEC 11, 1999 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received prelates from the Dominican Episcopal Conference, who have just completed their "ad limina" visit.

In his address the Pope made reference to the bishops' quinquennial reports in which they have underlined the need to "keep lay adults well formed in order that they be true witnesses to the Gospel, ... willing to intervene in the fields most suited to them such as the family, the workplace, the world of culture or of politics."

For this reason, he continued, what is required is "continuous and systematic formation (of lay adults) making them aware of their dignity as baptized Christians and the commitment that this brings with it, as well as giving them a solid knowledge of the Church's doctrine and Magisterium. In fact, you can only promote moral values through solid ethical principles. This is especially so in a society where a high percentage of the population lives in conditions of extreme poverty, where there is high unemployment, especially among youth, and where there is an increase in violence and corruption." These factors have repercussions "in phenomena such as adolescent single mothers or child labor and exploitation."

The Holy Father affirmed that in the face of the weakening of the family, there is a need for incisive catechesis "that gives deep roots to the Christian ideal of faithful and indissoluble conjugal communion, true path of sanctity and open to procreation." Furthermore, "it is also necessary to recall the need to respect women's inalienable dignity and, moreover, to recognize their vital role in the home as well as in the Church and in society. In fact, it is sad to note how 'women still meet forms of discrimination', especially when they are the frequent victims of sexual abuse and male dominance."
The Pope recalled the presence, in the Dominican Republic, of "particular ideologies or schools of thought that, in one way or another, deny God or advocate a distancing from Him (and) relativize moral values. ... Consequently, in her evangelizing work, the Church feels the pressing need, not just to defend the truth about man, his primacy over society and his openness to the transcendent, but also to speak and teach in such a way that 'the Gospel is proclaimed in the language and in the culture of its hearers.' At the same time, in this task, she must avoid the risk that excessive attachment to certain cultures and traditions ends up relativizing the Christian message or rendering it void of meaning."

At the close of his talk, John Paul II entreated the prelates to make the Jubilee, "this year of grace, become a strong impulse to spiritual renewal, both individual and communal."

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