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                               VIS-Press releases

THE FAMILY HAS SPECIAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR EDUCATION

VATICAN CITY, 9 NOV 2010 (VIS) - Made public today was a Message from the Pope
to Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco, president of the Italian Episcopal Conference
(CEI), for that institution's sixty-second general assembly, which is being
held this week in Assisi, Italy.

"St. Francis' evangelical life and his vocation to follow the path of the
crucified Christ arose from his participation in Mass and his devoted reception
of Holy Communion", writes the Pope. In this context he also highlights how
"the sacred nature of the Eucharist means that it must be celebrated and adored
with an awareness of the greatness, importance and effectiveness it has for
Christian life. Yet it also requires purity, coherence and sanctity of life
from each one of us, that we may become living witnesses of Christ's unique
sacrifice of love".

Referring then to the main question being examined by the CEI, the Italian
translation of the third typical edition of the Roman Missal, the Holy Father
notes how "all true reformers are, in fact, obedient to the faith. They do not
move arbitrarily, they do not claim any discretional jurisdiction over rites.
They are not masters but custodians of the treasure that was instituted by the
Lord and entrusted to us. The entire Church is present in each liturgical act,
and adhering to its form is a condition for the authenticity of the
celebration".

The progress of science and technology, he continues, "has often been at the
expense of the foundations of Christianity, in which the rich history of the
European continent has its roots. The moral sphere has been confined to the
subjective field and God, when not denied outright, is in any case excluded
from the public conscience".

"In order to invert this tendency", Benedict XVI goes on, "a
generic call to
values is not enough, nor is an educational programme that contents itself with
purely functional and fragmentary interventions, What is needed is a personal
relationship of trust between active individuals, ... capable of taking up
positions and of putting their own personal freedom into question.

"For this reason", he adds, "your decision to remind
everyone who cares about
the city of man and the welfare of new generations of their education
responsibilities seems particularly appropriate. This vital alliance can only
start with a renewed closeness to families, recognising and supporting their
primary role in education. It is in families that the face of a people is
forged".

The Holy Father concludes by exhorting the bishops "to value the liturgy as a
perennial source for education in the good life of the Gospel. It introduces
people to the meeting with Jesus Christ, Who with words and deeds constantly
edifies the Church, moulding her in the profound concepts of listening,
fraternity and mission".
MESS/VIS 20101109 (470)

SUMMARY

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