VATICAN CITY, MAY 23, 2000 (VIS) - Made public today was a message from the Holy Father to Italian bishops who are taking part in the 47th General Assembly of the Episcopal Conference in Collevalenza, Italy. The meeting is focussing on pastoral guidelines for the Church in Italy over the next ten years.
The Pope writes that new evangelization "is certainly the pastoral priority for Italy, as for many other nations with a great and ancient Christian tradition that are under attack from the currents of secularization and de-Christianization."
One tool of evangelization, he confirms, are "the social communications media. I trust these will become further consolidated as they give Italian Catholics the possibility to be daily present in the exchange of opinions and in the proposal of models of behavior, indispensable in today's society of 'global communication'."
John Paul II expresses his support for the Italian bishops' commitment "in favor of the marriage-based family, true pillar of social life in Italy. In the face of the grave and persistent drop in births that threatens the future of this nation, it is especially important that the ecclesial community's formative work unite with political and legislative choices in order to promote the endorsement of human life and the respect of its inalienable dignity."
The Holy Father recalls the national assembly of Catholic schools, celebrated on October 30 1999, "in which, together with many young people, parents and teachers, we asked for full scholastic parity" (juridic and economic) between State and non- State schools.
After highlighting that, "together with the family and education, work is justly at the center of your concerns and mine," he refers to the need to face the persisting inequalities in this field, "evaluating this country's great initiative, in the light of the principles of solidarity and subsidiarity."
MESS;ASSEMBLY ITALIAN BISHOPS;...;...;VIS;20000523;Word: 310;
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