VATICAN CITY, APR 30, 2004 (VIS) - John Paul II this morning welcomed members of the Pontifical Academy for Social Sciences as it celebrates both its annual plenary session and the tenth anniversary of its founding in 1994 by the Pope. He thanked outgoing president Edmond Malinvaud and offered "cordial best wishes" to incoming president Mary Ann Glendon.
In his address, the Pope noted that "the theme which you are presently studying - that of relations between generations - is closely connected to your research on globalization. In earlier times the care of grown children for their parents was taken for granted. The family was the primary place of inter-generational solidarity." There was, he said, the solidarity of marriage and the married couple which extended to the children which "in turn led to solidarity between grown children and their aging parents."
He highlighted the significant changes in inter-generational relations due to "the weakening of the marriage bond, ... and the pressures of a consumer society which cause families to divert attention from the home to the workplace or a variety of social activities. Children at times are perceived, even before birth as an obstacle to the personal fulfillment of their parents, or are seen as one object to be chosen among others."
The Holy Father said he hoped that the academy study on this issue "will lead to a clearer appreciation of the need for a solidarity which crosses generations and unites individuals and groups in mutual assistance and enrichment."
He emphasized the need to pay particular attention "to the precarious situation of many elderly persons, ...many of whom have insufficient resources or pensions, some suffer from physical maladies, while others no longer feel useful or are ashamed that they require special care, and all too many simply feel abandoned."
"In meeting these challenges," said John Paul II, "every generation and social group has a role to play. ... The family, as the origin and foundation of human society also has an irreplaceable role in the building of inter-generational solidarity. There is no age when one ceases to be a father or mother, a son or daughter."
AC/PLENARY ACAD-SS/GLENDON VIS 20040430 (360)
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