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SANCTITY OF LIFE AND FAMILY TOP LIST OF POPE'S CONCERNS

Pope Urges List To Become "Central Concerns of Political Leaders"

VATICAN, January 10, 2002 (LSN.ca) - In his State of the World address yesterday, Pope John Paul II mentioned the sanctity of life and promotion of family as his top concerns. In the address, officially called the address to the Vatican diplomatic corps, he confided a list of, as he said, "reflections which rise from my prayer as well as from the things I hear from those who visit me" and asked that the list be passed on to the governments of the world.

The Pope called the list of concerns "the great challenges lying before us" and asked that we "open our hearts and minds" to them. The list was topped by the following concerns:
- the defence of the sacredness of human life in all circumstances, especially in relation to the challenges posed by genetic manipulation;
- the promotion of the family, the basic unit of society;

The next six items involved concerns over poverty, human rights, fighting diseases and other social justice issues. The Pope concluded, "If these priorities became the central concerns of political leaders; if people of good made them part of their daily endeavors; if religious believers included them in their teaching, the world would be a radically different place."

For the complete papal address see (scroll down for the English translation):
http://www.vatican.va/cgi-bin/w3-msql/news_services/bulletin/news/10590.html?ind...

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