VATICAN - Benedict XVI tells Italian Bishops: “For us Bishops, for our priests, for catechists, and for the entire Christian community, the educational emergency assumes a very specific form: that of the transmission of the faith to the new generations."

Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) – “In Italy, as in many other countries, there is a strong sense of what we could call an authentic ‘educational emergency,’” said the Holy Father Benedict XVI on May 29, in a meeting held in the Vatican’s Synod Hall with the Members of the General Assembly of the Italian Bishops’ Conference. Congratulating the Bishops for the theme chosen for the Assembly, on “how to promote the encounter of young people with the Gospel, and more specifically, on the questions of evangelization and education of new generations,” the Holy Father pointed out: “For us Bishops, for our priests, for catechists, and for the entire Christian community, the educational emergency assumes a very specific form: that of the transmission of the faith to the new generations. And here, here in a unique manner, we must negotiate the obstacles placed in our way by relativism, by a culture that puts God within parenthesis and discourages all truly committed choices, and in particular definitive choices, rather privileging – in many areas of life - self-affirmation and immediate satisfaction.”
In response to these difficulties, the Pope encouraged the Bishops to welcome and support the many charisms and forms of evangelizing energy that the Holy Spirit has inspired in the Church, guiding them “so that they will always remain in the ambit of faith and of ecclesial communion,” and to place more effort in “promoting evangelization in the many forms and opportunities for encounter and presence that we maintain with youth, in parishes, oratories and schools.” In relation this initiative, the Holy Father highlighted the importance of personal relationships, especially through the Sacrament of Confession and spiritual direction. The great events, like those of Loreto and Sydney, “yield the fruits of our daily pastoral labor and at the same time, help them to fully witness the Church’s universality and the fraternity that should unite all nations.”
One of the most urgent needs today in the social sphere is for “educators that know how to be credible testimonies of the reality and values upon which one can build both his personal existence, as well as common and shared plans for life.” Benedict XVI said, reflecting on the “specific locations of formation, which are schools,” that “in a democratic state, which boasts the promotion of free initiatives in every field, the exclusion of adequate support to the commitment of ecclesiastical institutions in the area of schooling does not seem justified.”
“Not only in the most important area of education, but also in its own general situation,” the Holy Father said, “Italy needs to overcome a difficult period in which economic and social dynamism seemed to weaken, faith in the future diminished, and the poverty of many families led to a growing sense of insecurity with the tendency of each individual to close in on himself and his personal concerns. It is precisely with this in mind that we should note with great joy the signs of a new climate that is more hopeful and more constructive...Obviously, this climate needs to be fortified and could soon disappear, if it is not made life in concrete results.”
After encouraging the Bishops to make their specific contribution so that “Italy may see a period of progress and harmony, employing those energies and driving forces that find their origin in the great history of Christianity,” Benedict XVI reminded them that “the fundamental problem of mankind today remains the problem of God. No other human and social problem can truly be solved if God does not return to the center of our lives.”
At the end of his speech, the Pope highlighted other fundamental points worthy of the Italian Bishops’ attention: “Within the framework of a healthy and well-understood laicism, it is important to resist all tendencies to consider religion, and in particular Christianity, as a purely private matter.” He then went on to address the importance of the family based on marriage, “in order to promote a pastoral ministry that is ready to face the challenges that it must face today...as well as, to ask public institutions for coherent policies that recognize the central role families play in society... We must remain strong and constant in our commitment to the dignity and protection of human life in all moments and conditions, from the moment of conception and the embryonic stage to the situations of illness and suffering, until natural death. We cannot close our eyes and remain silent in the face of the poverty, discomfort and social injustice that afflict such a large part of humankind, and that require generous commitment from everyone.”
Lastly, the Pope expressed his joy at the celebration of the 40th anniversary of the foundation of the daily journal “Avvenire” and for the new translation of the Bible, that is fitting in preparation for the upcoming Synod of Bishops. (SL) (Agenzia Fides 30/5/2008)