VATICAN CITY, 19 SEP 2008 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received prelates from the Episcopal Conference of Panama, who have just completed their "ad limina" visit.
In his remarks to them, the Pope highlighted the bishops' initiatives "to sow the Word of God in the hearts of Panamanians and to accompany them on their journey to maturity in the faith, that they may become authentic disciples and missionaries of Jesus Christ".
One "reason for joy", the Holy Father said, is "the fruitful missionary activity of priests, religious and lay people". This, he said, "contrasts the growing secularisation of society ... that invades all aspects of daily life, encourages a mentality in which God is effectively absent from human life and conscience, and often uses the communications media to spread individualism, hedonism, and ideologies and customs that undermine the very foundations of marriage, the family and Christian morals".
In order to face these challenges, said the Pope, what is needed is "profound knowledge of the Lord Jesus and sincere love for Him". This is to be achieved through "mediating upon Sacred Scripture, adequate doctrinal and spiritual formation, constant prayer, the frequent receipt of the Sacrament of Penance, conscientious and active participation in Mass, and the practice of works of charity and mercy".
Referring then to the pastoral care of youth and of vocations, Benedict XVI encouraged the prelates to pray to the Lord that He "may send many holy vocations to the priesthood, to which end the correct discernment of candidates is also necessary, as is apostolic zeal and the witness of communion and fraternity among priests".
"Such a lifestyle", he went on, "must be inculcated beginning in the seminary, where the focus must be on serious academic discipline, time and space for daily prayer, the dignified celebration of the liturgy, adequate spiritual guidance, and the intense cultivation of human, Christian and priestly virtues. In this way, praying and studying, seminarians will be able to build within themselves the man of God that the faithful have the right to expect in their ministers".
After emphasising the fact that many Panamanian families face difficulties "that threaten the stability of conjugal love, responsible parenthood and the harmony and stability of homes", the Holy Father pointed out that "enough effort can never be made to develop a vigorous pastoral care of families, so that people may discover the beauty of the vocation to Christian marriage, defend human life from conception to natural end, and build homes in which children are educated in love for the truth of the Gospel and in solid human values".
Given the current situation in the country, it is particularly urgent "for the Church in Panama to continue to provide lights that may help to solve the serious human problems of the present, promoting a moral consensus of society on fundamental values. To this end it is of vital importance to divulge the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, which enables a more profound and systematic knowledge of the ecclesial guidelines which must be applied, especially by the laity, in the political, social and economic fields".
"In this way", Pope Benedict concluded, "Christian hope may illuminate the people of Panama, who thirst to know the truth about God and about man amidst the phenomena of poverty, youth violence, deficiencies in education, healthcare and housing, harassment by innumerable sects and corruption, which, to various degrees, disturb their lives and prevent their integral development".
AL/.../PANAMA VIS 20080919 (590)
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