(08 Feb 08 - RV) Pope Benedict XVI called for the defence of the rights of the family
on Friday while speaking to the Bishops of Costa Rica who are in Rome on their Ad
Limina visit.
The Pope urged the bishops to continue with their services
to help defend the rights of the family, especially those that have been faced by
abandonment, economic problems, and domestic violence- those victims mainly being
women.
He also spoke about vocations to religious and consecrated life, saying
they are a precious gift to the Church because they are the sign of the "mystery of
the Kingdom of God that already acts in history.”
He reminded them of their
duty to give laypeople a solid Christian formation, saying it is the laity who have
been called to carry Christian values into all the sectors of society, including the
workplace and civil society.
Bishop Josè Francisco Ulloa Rojas of the diocese
of Cartago spoke about some of the problems in Costa Rica.
He says divorce
is on the rise, there are more marriages outside of the church and poverty is very
high.
What he says that Costa Rica needs is a society for the common good of
all