THEOLOGICAL FACULTIES CONTRIBUTE TO BAVARIAN CULTURE

VATICAN CITY, NOV 3, 2005 (VIS) - This morning, Benedict XVI received a group of parliamentarians from the Christian-Social Union of the Bavarian Diet (the parliament of Bavaria), Germany. Addressing them in German, the Holy Father highlighted Bavaria's rich historical and cultural heritage also indicating how, for some years, it has been an important center for modern technology and research.

  "To these characteristics," the Pope said, "Bavaria unites a heritage of generosity and a rich religious harmony, elements which hold real promise for a future made in man's measure."

  The Holy Father also referred to the fact that Bavaria is now facing "the difficult social and economic challenges of our time, ... to which must be added the questions raised by new scientific and technological developments, that confront politicians with an obligation to make the right decisions."

  "Scientific advancement," the Pope observed, "can be a blessing for human beings, or their ruin. Politicians, when called to decide on the correct or incorrect use of science, must choose whether to allow themselves to be guided by superficial advantages or by the laws of God. Men and women are responsible for their actions before God, the giver of all life. Those actions must always respect the inviolability of individuals whose lives are sacred at every phase, (especially) when using new scientific discoveries."

  Going on to speak of education, Benedict XVI stressed how, "in order for the highest attainments of our culture to be respected and promoted in the future, young people must have a solid formation, one based not merely on technocratic or economic suppositions, but on an intellectual heritage that reflects the names of Athens, Jerusalem and Rome. In this context, I would like to mention the personal and irreplaceable contribution made to the country's universities by theological faculties, where I too had the honor of teaching, as a professor of dogmatic theology in the University of Regensburg. A time I always recall with happiness."

  In conclusion, the Pope recalled Munich, "an unforgettable city, the city of which I was bishop, ... the city of the Mariensaule" (the monument to Mary, Patroness of Bavaria), and expressed the hope that the Virgin may always occupy a central place in the hearts of the Bavarian people.
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