EVANGELIZATION, THE TOP PRIORITY OF BISHOPS

VATICAN CITY, MAR 3, 2001 (VIS) - The Pope this morning received the prelates of the Panamanian Episcopal Conference who have been in Rome this past week on their "ad limina" visit.

John Paul II reminded the bishops that their top priority is the proclamation of the Gospel. "In this sense," he said, "it is important that each bishop ingrain this same spirit of evangelization in his collaborators, most especially in priests."

"This will contribute in a decisive way to another very urgent priority in your dioceses, that is, the fostering of vocations, which demands a serious commitment on everyone's part."

The Holy Father said he knew the Panamanian prelates were concerned about making the Gospel message penetrate, given the differences among the regions, the "rapid social changes," the "widespread temptation to a life that is trivial, an egoistic consumerism, irresponsible sexuality, including easy recourse to violence."

"In the face of this," he continued, "and far from giving in to any temptation to despondency, you must be close to and have a word for young people, talking to them directly and without subterfuge, rescuing them from a superficial life or one without meaning, filling them with a determination for responsibility and defending them from the assault of a world filled with alluring deceptions."

John Paul II recalled that during his pastoral visit to Panama in 1983 he had the opportunity "to speak about the Christian meaning of the family." He urged the bishops to have a family pastoral ministry that balances "an adequate preparation for marriage and constant attention to family life with a call at the same time for public leaders to be responsible in all that which refers to educational programs and to the insertion of young people in society."

"In Panama, the Church and her pastors," he underlined, "have a great tradition of assisting the needy, defending ethnic minorities, of human promotion and championing education. I wish to urge you to pursue this path. ... In this sense, it is important to maintain a prophetic voice in the face of those situations of discrimination which seem to perpetuate themselves, even when they do not seem to cause social destabilization."

After underscoring that the Church attempts to promote the integral well-being of the person, he stated that she also makes efforts "to promote the true dignity of the person, which implies, on the one hand, respect for basic human rights and, on the other, a sense of responsibility, solidarity and cooperation in building a better world for everyone."

"This is a specific mission of the lay faithful," he concluded, "to which must be given privileged pastoral attention, so that they have a correct Christian formation and a great strength of soul in their social duties. In this way, they will know how to imbue the worlds of culture, science and politics with Gospel values."

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