Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Patagonia-Comahue (Agenzia Fides) - In a Christmas Message the Catholic Bishops of the Argentinean region of Patagonia-Comahue, dioceses of Alto Valle, Comodoro Rivadavia, Neuquén, Río Gallegos, San Carlos de Bariloche y Viedma, urge the faithful to protect life, to protect and guarantee children adequate human and spiritual development.
The Bishops recall that the first Good News of Christmas is that the Son of God became a man to live among men and so the first conclusion of Christmas is that Life “is worth living from conception and worth fighting to defend with all available forces”. The Bishops appeal to those with responsibility to work to improve living conditions, “so that all new born infants are guaranteed the minimum necessary to develop physically healthy and normal”. Although the infant mortality rate has decreased, the Bishops say still too many children do not grow properly because of poverty and hardship.
One indispensable condition “for the care of a newborn child is to have a real family”, but the family “alone, cannot fulfil all the educational work which serves for the harmonious growth of the children” the bishops say, underlining the importance of schools for the proper development of the new generations. In this sense the Bishops say they will work to ensure that the authorities of the Argentinean provinces consider education a matter of State, assign the necessary resources to education, analyse the causes for school desertion, the absence of educational assistance for so many children due mainly to poverty of the families and guarantee teachers a just wage so they may devote themselves full time and with responsibility to their work.
In the Message the Bishops underline the importance of the spiritual aspect of life “we are not only bodies we are also, indeed much more, spirit”, and they recall "in the family children can learn to love and respect the Word of God, and it is in the family that hearts learn the joy of knowing that God speaks to us and teaches us to live with love ".
The Message continues: “To the many young people denied adequate human and spiritual develop development and prey to desperation, violence, abuse of alcohol or drugs, promiscuity, and are seen as a threat to society, we offer Jesus as the example for those who grow and are held in esteem by society ". In this sense the Bishops recall that everyone has the duty to help young people grow into individuals who are respected. The Bishops encourage dialogue in families, in city districts, in parish communities to identify needs of children and ways of “helping them to grow in the eyes of God and the whole world”.
The Bishops of Patagonia conclude by urging the people to prepare their hearts to receive the gift of Christ and to assume the commitment to collaborate at the service of Life and growth in age, wisdom and grace of the people of entrusted to their care. (RG) (Agenzia Fides 20/12/2006; righe 36, parole 555)
