POPE ADDRESSES CIVIL SERVICE AND BANKING GROUPS

VATICAN CITY, MAR 8, 2003 (VIS) - Pope John Paul welcomed two groups this morning in the Paul VI Hall, the first comprised of Italians working in civil service and civil protection and the second a group from the Sangro Teatina Cooperative Credit Bank as it celebrates its first centenary.

Addressing those involved in civil service, the Pope noted that "a number among you, for deep personal convictions, have chosen to undertake this activity in place of military service. Others, boys and girls, benefitting from the new norms concerning national civil service, have decided to dedicate several years of their youth to the noble cause of the common good, to build a society centered on human and spiritual values, spreading the culture of welcome and solidarity."

He remarked that their "activities range from the formation of minors to assistance in homes and hospitals, to inserting the handicapped in the work force, to cultural promotion, to preserving historical patrimony and to civil and environmental protection."

"One could say," added the Holy Father, "that civil service constitutes, at the current historical moment, a 'sign of the times'. The Church too intends to make room for this precious reserve of energy, collaborating with civil institutions in redefining the juridical framework in which to create new civil service."

"Today, a day dedicated to women," he concluded, "I would like to recall the contribution that so many women, through national civil service, have made and continue to offer to the consolidation of civil and ecclesial communities."

The Pope then greeted the Sangro Teatina banking family, recalling that their "Institute was born on May 3, 1903, thanks to the providential initiative of four priests, in the wake of the teachings proposed in the Encyclical 'Rerum Novarum', written by my venerated predecessor, Pope Leo XIII. First called the St. Francis of Assisi Rural Catholic Bank of Savings and Loans, it intended to use cooperation in the field of savings and credit as a profitable instrument in helping the rural populations, who too often were victims of the widespread and mortifying custom of usury."

He said that, even though there have been notable changes in the past 100 years, the Institute "has maintained intact its style of solidarity and its ethical-social inspiration marked by the Gospel. He thanked them for their "numerous and diverse actions of philanthropy and solidarity among the populations of Abruzzo and Molise, where the bank is present" and urged them "to keep the original spirit and to be open with farsightedness to the emerging needs of the present historical moment."

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