POPE WELCOMES NEW AMBASSADOR FROM THE NETHERLANDS

VATICAN CITY, OCT 23, 2000 (VIS) - The Holy Father this morning received the Letters of Credence of the new ambassador from the Netherlands to the Holy See, Baron Hendrik Volkier Bentinck Van Schoonheten.

In his address in French, the Pope referred to the ambassador's talk and said: "As you so opportunely underlined, the moral value of respect for others is essential at all levels of relations between persons. Indeed, for our contemporaries to have confidence in the different institutions of civil society, above all it is important that they know they are respected and that their rights are fully recognized, of which the most important are the dignity of all human life, in the different stages of a person's existence, and religious freedom, which is a basic element of freedom of conscience. ... These diverse aspects of moral life are important elements for peace and for coexistence in the heart of a nation and among peoples."

"You know the attachment of the Catholic Church," John Paul II affirmed, "to marriage as a basic human reality and as the basic cell of society. No other form of relationship between persons can be considered as equivalent to this natural relationship between a man and a woman who, through their love, give birth to children. It must be remembered that all societies need basic structures in order to build on solid and objective foundations."

Turning to globalization, the Pope observed: "I am especially sensitive to your attention to the phenomena of poverty in the world and to the growing disparities between rich and poor countries. Many times during this Jubilee Year I have asked nations to envisage a stronger solidarity with the poorest countries, notably by alleviating their external debt."

"It is also important," he added, "that the peoples who produce raw materials be able to enjoy international growth and that the benefits do not accrue just to those countries who transform these materials or who make trade." He said that "social and institutional imbalances" in this sphere can lead to conflicts.

John Paul II concluded with praises for efforts to erase such imbalances and he invited leaders "to pursue and to intensify their action towards poor countries and regions where there are conflicts, notably in Africa and the Middle East."

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