Tuesday, May 2, 2006

CLOSURE OF THE PLENARY ACADEMY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES


VATICAN CITY, MAY 2, 2006 (VIS) - Today, at 11:30am, a press conference was held at the Holy See Press Office on the occasion of the closure of the twelfth Plenary Session of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences, which took place at the Vatican  from April 28 to May 2. The session was dedicated to the theme "Vanishing Youth? Solidarity with Children and Young People in an Age of Turbulence".

  During the conference, Professor Mary Ann Glendon, president of this institution, explained that "the theme is part of a multi-year project of the Academy, which is examining the broad implications of the demographic changes of the last few decades". She said that "this opens up a new possibility for Catholic social teaching, which to date has not focused as explicitly on the situation of young people as it has, for example, on labor, or women, or those living in poverty".

  The plenary, always focusing around its central theme, also discussed the oppression and exploitation of the young population, called the "Demographic Winter" and the spiritual emptiness that "prevents deep ideals from taking hold". The participants also discussed how the twentieth century came to be known as the "children's century", because of the large number of international charters and treaties to protect young people.

  "No society, no culture", concluded Glendon, "can afford to suffer a 'vanishing youth', for with them would also vanish the real hope and noble ideals of every nation".
OP/YOUTH/GLENDON                        VIS 20060502 (250)


No comments:

Post a Comment