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Email: "Care for the Poor is the Work of Individuals, not the State: Pope Benedict"

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BY LifeSiteNews.com By Hilary WhiteROME, March 8, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Care for the poor and vulnerable is the concern of individuals, motivated by genuine charity, rather than the exclusive concern of the state, Pope Benedict XVI has said in a pair of addresses this weekend. In an address to a group of bishops from Uganda, the pope praised their efforts to defend the sacredness of human life and of the family, and urged them to help their flocks resist the “seductions” of materialism. Speaking to a gathering of Italian Civil Protection Service (ICPS) on Saturday, March 6, the pope commended their voluntary service and said that Christians are called to help their neighbours “concretely,” and called on ICPS volunteers personally to become “living icons” of the Good Samaritan.  “There is no just order in the state,” he said, “that eliminates the service of charity.”He continued, “Whoever wants to eliminate charity is preparing to eliminate man.”“Love of our neighbour cannot be delegated,” the pope said. “The State and politics, though with the necessary attention for welfare, cannot replace it.”He reiterated a point made in his encyclical, “Deus caritas est,” saying, “Love will always be necessary, even in the most just society.” This, he said, “requires and will always require personal and volunteer commitment.”The ICPS is one of Italy’s largest volunteer organizations with approximately 1.3 million members. It provides assistance and security for national and international emergencies like the recent earthquake in the Abruzzi region, as well as at major events, such as World Youth Day. Pope Benedict told them, “Misfortunes [and] mournful events should not arouse curiosity or investigation for possible culprits in us, but they should represent occasions to reflect, to win over the illusion of being able to live without God, and to reinforce, with the help of the Lord, the commitment to changing [our] lives.”In his address on Friday to the bishops from the Ugandan Episcopal Conference, who have just completed their "ad limina" visit, the pope praised the local church’s efforts to protect and promote the family in programs in schools, parishes and other institutions.“In the light of the Gospel message,” he said, “you are aware of the need to encourage the Catholics of Uganda to appreciate fully the sacrament of marriage in its unity and indissolubility, and the sacred right to life.”“I urge you to help them, priests as well as the lay faithful, to resist the seduction of a materialistic culture of individualism which has taken root in so many countries.” http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/care-for-the-poor-is-the-work-of-individuals-not-the-state-pope-benedict/

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