PAPAL MESSAGE TO ITALIAN EPISCOPAL CONFERENCE

VATICAN CITY, NOV 19, 2002 (VIS) - A Message from Pope John Paul to the Italian Episcopal Conference, meeting in their 50th General Assembly at the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Collevalenza, was read last evening at the start of the conference.

The Pope noted that the bishops intend to focus on "the great challenge developing in recent years around the crucial question, ... 'Who is man?' This is an old yet a new challenge because the ever present tendencies to deny or forget the oneness of our being and our vocation, as creatures made in the image of God, receive a new impulse today from the pretense of being able to adequately explain man with empirical scientific methods alone. And this occurs when it is actually more than ever necessary to have a clear and firm conviction of the inviolable dignity of the human person, in order to face the risks of radical manipulation that would occur if the resources of technology were applied to man leaving aside the fundamental parameters and anthropological and ethical criteria written in his very nature." He added that the awareness of man's dignity is "the sole principle on which a truly humanistic society and civilization can be built."

"I applaud and encourage," the Holy Father said, "the energy you are dedicating to promoting a qualified Christian presence in the field of ... social communications" and "the commitment given to raising the qualitative level and public prestige of (the Catholic daily newspaper) 'Avvenire'."

The Pope then referred to his November 14 visit to the Italian parliament, saying it underscored "that rather deep and truly special bond that has been established, over the centuries, between Italy and the Catholic Church." He praised the bishops for their concern "for the fate of this beloved nation" and said he shared in particular their concern "for the family, recognized from all time as the supporting structure of social life. ... We are called to pay the same kind of attention to educating the new generations, and therefore to schools."

Pope John Paul recognized that these are "difficult economic and social times" in which great "solidarity" must be shown for "the many persons and families marked in some way by poverty or threatened by the loss of their job."

He lauded the bishops' dedication in following events of the European Union, in particular the expansion of the EU towards the countries of central and eastern Europe.

The Holy Father expressed "strong concern for peace. Let us together ask God, rich in mercy and pardon, to extinguish the sentiments of hatred in the souls of populations, to put an end to the horror of terrorism and to guide the steps of the leaders of nations on the paths of reciprocal understanding, solidarity and reconciliation."

The Pope's concluding words were dedicated to the victims, especially the children, of the recent earthquake in Molise.

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