VATICAN - “The Church’s teaching is based on the fact that God created man and woman in his own image and likeness and granted them a superior dignity and a shared mission towards the whole of creation” : Pope Benedict XVI visits Pontifical Academy of Sciences and of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences

Tuesday, 22 November 2005

Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) - On Monday 21 November Pope Benedict XVI visited the offices of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences and of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences, located in the Casina Pio IV in the Vatican Gardens. The two academies are headed, respectively, by Nicola Cabibbo and Mary Ann Glendon. In his address in English, the Holy Father expressed his satisfaction that the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences has chosen "the concept of the person in social sciences" as the subject of its plenary assembly this year and said “The human person is at the heart of the whole social order and consequently at the very centre of your field of study. …Human beings are part of nature and, yet, as free subjects who have moral and spiritual values, they transcend nature. This anthropological reality is an integral part of Christian thought, and responds directly to the attempts to abolish the boundary between human sciences and natural sciences, often proposed in contemporary society”. The Pope also unveiled a sculpture of Pope John Paul II bearing inscriptions recalling the late Pope’s special interest in the two academies which he founded in 1994.
The present day discussion on the status of the human being “must continue to be part of the dialogue with science.” Pope Benedict XVI said . “The Church’s teaching is based on the fact that God created man and woman in his own image and likeness and granted them a superior dignity and a shared mission towards the whole of creation … The concept of person continues to bring about a profound understanding of the unique character and social dimension of every human being. This is especially true in legal and social institutions, where the notion of "person" is fundamental. Sometimes, however, even when this is recognised in international declarations and legal statutes, certain cultures, especially when not deeply touched by the Gospel, remain strongly influenced by group-centred ideologies or by an individualistic and secularist view of society..”
After recalling the importance of the Social Doctrine of the Catholic Church, “which places the human person at the heart and source of social order, can offer much to the contemporary consideration of social themes, “ Benedict XVI paid tribute to Pope John Paul II, “his undisputed contribution to Christian thought can be understood as a profound meditation on the person. He enriched and expanded the concept in his Encyclicals and other writings. These texts represent a patrimony to be received, collected and assimilated with care, particularly by the Pontifical Academies”.
Before unveiling the statue of John Paul II and the inscriptions which “point to his enlightened readiness to reach out in a dialogue of salvation to the world of science and culture”, Benedict XVI said he hoped the activity of the Pontifical Academies “will continue to produce a fruitful interchange between the Church’s teaching on the human person and the sciences and social sciences which you represent”. (S.L.) (Agenzia Fides 22/11/2005, righe 34, parole 473)


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