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   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   
      
   --- MPost/386 v1.21   
    * Origin: Sursum Corda! BBS =Meridian, MS= bbs.sursum-corda.com (1:396/45)