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                                  VIS-Press releases   
      
   CHARITY IS THE HALLMARK OF CHRISTIAN LIFE   
      
   VATICAN CITY, 7 NOV 2010 (VIS) - This afternoon the Pope visited the "Obra   
   Benefico-Social Nen Deu", a charitable institution in Barcelona founded in 1892   
   by Blessed Carmen of the Child Jesus Gonzalez Ramos, foundress of the   
   Franciscan Sisters of the Sacred Hearts.   
      
   The institution originally provided assistance to the children of poor   
   families, most of them afflicted with Downs syndrome, but given the gradual   
   reduction in such cases it now houses some 250 patients ranging in age from   
   three to twenty-one and suffering from autism, severe epilepsy or personality   
   disorders. They are cared for by the nuns with the support of a team of eighty   
   professionals and volunteers.   
      
   On his arrival the Holy Father was received by Cardinal Lluis Martinez Sistach,   
   archbishop of Barcelona. Having then addressed greetings in Catalan to the   
   mother superior of the community, the patrons of the Obra, the patients and   
   their families, Benedict XVI began his remarks:   
      
   "I would also like to express my appreciation to the authorities, and I invite   
   them to increase their efforts to provide adequate social services and   
   assistance to the most needy. I also thank those who, with their generous   
   support, build up and sustain private welfare institutions, such as this   
   special education school of Nen Deu. At a time when many households are faced   
   with serious economic difficulties, the followers of Christ must multiply   
   concrete gestures of effective and constant solidarity, showing in this way   
   that charity is the hallmark of our Christian life.   
      
   "The dedication of the basilica of the Sagrada Familia", he added, "has   
   highlighted that churches are the sign of the true sanctuary of God among men.   
   Here, I would like to emphasise how, through the efforts of this and similar   
   church institutions ... it is clear that, for the Christian, every man and   
   woman is a true sanctuary of God, and should be treated with the highest   
   respect and affection, above all when they are in need. In this way, the Church   
   desires to put into practice the words of the Lord in the Gospel, 'I say to   
   you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to   
   me'".   
      
   The Holy Father continued: "In recent decades, remarkable advances in medicine   
   have greatly contributed to the care of those in greatest need, advances which   
   have been accompanied by a growing conviction of the importance of dedicated   
   and humane treatment for the positive outcome of the healing process.   
   Therefore, it is indispensable that new technological developments in the field   
   of medicine never be to the detriment of respect for human life and dignity, so   
   that those who suffer physical illnesses or handicaps can always receive that   
   love and attention required to make them feel valued as persons in their   
   concrete needs".   
      
   "Dear children and young people, giving thanks to God for your lives, so   
   precious in His eyes, I assure you that you have a special place in the Pope's   
   heart. ... I always remember in my prayers those who are dedicated to helping   
   the suffering, and those who work tirelessly so that the handicapped can take   
   their rightful place in society and not be marginalised because of their   
   limitations. In this respect, I wish to recognise, in a special way, the   
   faithful witness of priests and those who visit the sick at home, in hospitals   
   or in other specialised institutions. They incarnate that important ministry of   
   consolation in the face of human frailty, which the Church seeks to carry out   
   in imitation of the Good Samaritan".   
      
   Following his address the Pope received a number of gifts prepared for him by   
   the children and young people of Nen Deu, and blessed the cornerstone of the   
   institution's new residence, which will bear his name. He then travelled by car   
   to the airport where, at 6.30 p.m., he held a private meeting with Jose Luis   
   Rodriguez Zapatero, prime minister of Spain".   
   PV-SPAIN/VIS 20101108 (660)   
      
   SUMMARY   
      
   --- MPost/386 v1.21   
    * Origin: Sursum Corda! BBS =Meridian, MS= bbs.sursum-corda.com (1:396/45)