SOCIAL DOCTRINE OF THE CHURCH: RESPONSE TO GREAT CHALLENGES

VATICAN CITY, APR 27, 2002 (VIS) - The Pope received at midday today in the Paul VI Hall 8,000 members of the Christian Associations of Italian Workers (ACLI) on the occasion of the organizational and planning conference that they are holding.

John Paul II reminded the leaders and members of ACLI that, in the face of "fast changes in society," they wanted to renew their commitment to "evangelize work and social life." He added that they were called to be "the 'worker bees' of the Church's social doctrine, the main road to respond to the great challenges of the contemporary age. Study social doctrine, spread it" and make proposals in which the human person is the center.

Speaking about the family, the Holy Father underlined that "what is needed are social policies on a family scale, policies of formation and work oriented toward balancing work time and time for taking care of the family. The decision to invest in dialogue among generations, forming and valuing young people, capable of giving flavor to and illuminating our society as salt of the earth and light of the world, is very important."

"Today," he continued, "you are called to extend the confines of your social action, in relation to new phenomena of immigration and globalization. ... The close link between the local and global dimension requires, in particular in more favored countries, more demanding ways of responsibility toward developing countries."

The Pope concluded by emphasizing that "this is the time for lay faithful who know how to recognize in the social reality and in work the hopes and distress of the people of our time, laity capable of bearing witness to 'values of the kingdom' with their lives, even when it may mean going against the current with respect to the logic of the world."

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