Hello All!   
                   This Area is READ ONLY.  Do not post to this area.   
                   The following press release is Copyrighted by the   
                             Vatican Information Service.   
                   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~   
                                  VIS-Press releases   
      
   CHURCH IN PHILIPPINES: CONTINUE TO BE A LEAVEN IN SOCIETY   
      
   VATICAN CITY, 29 NOV 2010 (VIS) - This morning in the Vatican, the Holy Father   
   received prelates from the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines, who   
   have just completed their "ad limina" visit. Addressing them in English, the   
   Pope referred to the close ties that for four centuries have united the   
   Philippines and the See of Peter, highlighting the benefits the leaven of faith   
   has brought to the Filipino people and their culture.   
      
   "To be such a leaven, the Church must always seek to find her proper voice,   
   because it is by proclamation that the Gospel brings about its life-changing   
   fruits", he said. "Thanks to the Gospel's clear presentation of the truth about   
   God and man, generations of zealous Filipino clergymen, religious and laity   
   have promoted an ever more just social order. At times, this task of   
   proclamation touches upon issues relevant to the political sphere. This is not   
   surprising, since the political community and the Church, while rightly   
   distinct, are nevertheless both at the service of the integral development of   
   every human being and of society as a whole".   
      
   "At the same time, the Church's prophetic office demands that she be free 'to   
   preach the faith, to teach her social doctrine ... and also to pass moral   
   judgments in those matters which regard public order whenever the fundamental   
   human rights of a person or the salvation of souls requires it'. In the light   
   of this prophetic task, I commend the Church in the Philippines for seeking to   
   play its part in support of human life from conception until natural death, and   
   in defence of the integrity of marriage and the family. In these areas you are   
   promoting truths about the human person and about society which arise not only   
   from divine revelation but also from natural law, an order which is accessible   
   to human reason and thus provides a basis for dialogue and deeper discernment   
   on the part of all people of good will. I also note with appreciation the   
   Church's work to abolish the death penalty in your country.   
      
   "A specific area in which the Church must always find her proper voice comes in   
   the field of social communications and the media", Pope Benedict added. "It is   
   important that the Catholic laity proficient in social communications take   
   their proper place in proposing the Christian message in a convincing and   
   attractive way. If the Gospel of Christ is to be a leaven in Filipino society,   
   then the entire Catholic community must be attentive to the force of the truth   
   proclaimed with love".   
      
   Finally the Holy Father turned his attention to "a third aspect of the Church's   
   mission of proclaiming the life-giving word of God: ... her commitment to   
   economic and social concerns, in particular with respect to the poorest and the   
   weakest in society". The Church in the Philippines, he said, takes "a special   
   interest in devoting herself more fully to care for the poor. It is heartening   
   to see that this undertaking has borne fruit, with Catholic charitable   
   institutions actively engaged throughout the country. Many of your fellow   
   citizens, however, remain without employment, adequate education or basic   
   services, and so your prophetic statements and your charitable action on behalf   
   of the poor continue to be greatly appreciated. In addition to this effort", he   
   concluded, "you are rightly concerned that there be an ongoing commitment to   
   the struggle against corruption, since the growth of a just and sustainable   
   economy will only come about when there is a clear and consistent application   
   of the rule of law throughout the land".   
   AL/VIS 20101129 (600)   
      
   SUMMARY   
      
   --- MPost/386 v1.21   
    * Origin: Sursum Corda! BBS =Meridian, MS= bbs.sursum-corda.com (1:396/45)