HOLY FATHER WELCOMES PRESIDENT OF ARGENTINA

VATICAN CITY, APR 5, 2001 (VIS) - The Holy Father this morning welcomed to the Vatican President Fernando de la Rua of Argentina, accompanied by his wife and entourage, in his first encounter with the Pope as head of State.

"Your country," said the Pope in his speech, "has deep Catholic roots for which it has always looked to the Church and this Apostolic See as a reference point for its very identity and history."

John Paul II underlined that "the Catholic Church, beyond political and circumstantial contingencies, wishes to promote the integral good of citizens, in spite of international conditions and complex internal circumstances. ... Unemployment leads persons, families or social groups to think about emigrating to seek better horizons of life."

"In the face of this situation," he went on, "your government is aware of the need for means which aim to create a climate of social equality, favoring greater justice in distribution and a better participation in the many means on which the country counts. Only in this way can there be a situation of peace in justice, based on a common effort and in an economy which is at the service of man."

The Holy Father expressed the hope that the voice of the bishops, in reaffirming the principles of the Church's social doctrine, might be echoed by the leaders of public office, in order to avoid behavior "which could favor corruption, poverty and all other forms of social violence which derive from an absence of solidarity. The great moral reserves of the Argentinean people guarantee, with a well-founded hope, the future."

"This same people," stated the Pope, "has given proof of its attachment to great values, such as honesty, justice and respect for life from its conception to its natural end. Argentina has supported with commitment these values in various discussion arenas, sometimes international. In the face of a widespread concept, which frequently privileges egotistical acts, and is not very respectful of the principles which protect the first and most fundamental human right, the right to life, it is only just to recognize the far-sighted and humanist vision of sovereign countries, such as yours, whose position is consonant with the natural law."

John Paul II concluded by reaffirming that no progress can be made if one denies "basic human and moral values, nor can one achieve things by favoring means which can attack public morality; all this would lead to negative consequences, not only in the ethical sphere, and would also prejudice society itself."

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