MADAGASCAR, BUILDING A SOCIETY THAT RESPECTS HUMAN DIGNITY

VATICAN CITY, JUN 18, 2005 (VIS) - Twenty bishops of Madagascar were welcomed by the Holy Father this morning who told them, as they conclude their "ad limina" visit, that he hoped the people of their nation "will live in the peace of God and will courageously pursue the building of a society ever more respectful of man and his dignity."

  "In this year of the Eucharist," said Benedict XVI, "I especially invite you to renew your attachment to Christ who never ceases giving Himself to us in this Sacrament. Through your exemplary life and your teaching, collaborating actively among yourselves, lead the faithful to friendship with Christ, exhorting them to live an ever more generous charity with regard to their brothers." The Pope noted that the laity, when they are faithful to their vocation, "working to establish a more just society, fighting corruption, insecurity and all forms of exploitation of the poorest, express the solicitude of the Church for the true good of man."

  As bishops, stated Pope Benedict, "we must help the faithful entrusted to us to acquire an enlightened faith, rooted in an intimate encounter with Christ. He must be the measure of everything, allowing us to discern where truth is so as to face the problems of today with an authentic fidelity to His teaching. In this perspective the inculturation of faith in Malagasy culture remains an important objective. Welcoming modernity does not exclude, but rather demands this taking root. Sustaining ourselves through an enlightened faith is indispensable for authentic progress in the search for unity of the disciples of Christ."

  The Holy Father dedicated closing remarks to priests, the bishops' closest collaborators, noting that, even though "living in difficult conditions, many are generous and close to the people. Sustain them in their difficulties, be for each one of them a father and a demanding guide." Priests must be men of intellectual, spiritual and moral quality who "throughout their lives give witness of an unconditional attachment to the person of Christ and His Church." He urged the bishops to "give priority to serious formation in seminaries and to seek to develop the means for the permanent formation of priests."
AL/.../MADAGASCAR                        VIS 20050620 (370)