Pope Benedict XVI Receives Bishops of El Salvador

(28 Feb 08 - RV )Pope Benedict XVI today received the Bishops of El Salvador, who are here in Rome for their Ad Limina visits.


The Salvadoran Bishops are in Rome for their first ad limina visit with Pope Benedict XVI, a fact the Holy Father recalled in his remarks.


The Pope also reflected on the profound religious sentiment and the living faith that characterizes the Salvadoran people.


Pope Benedict told the bishops their responsibilities as Pastors of the Church include deep thinking about the grave needs of their people.


Poverty, said the Holy Father, forces many people to leave El Salvador in search of better living conditions, an emigration Pope Benedict said has negative consequences for the stability of marriage and family life.


The Pope also remarked on the Bishops’ 2005 pastoral letter on the problem of violence, which is considered to be the country’s most serious problem.


Pope Benedict said violence is the immediate consequence of other serious social ills, such as poverty, the failure of education, the progressive disappearance of those values, which have always sustained the soul of El Salvador, most importantly the family, which is being torn apart.


The Holy father said the family is an indispensable good for the Church and for society, the basic building block of peace.


Pope Benedict encouraged the bishops, telling them through renewed commitment to Christ will help them find ways to help the faithful recover and grow in the spiritual wealth of the faith Christians receive in baptism.


Pope Benedict called on the Bishops to give good reasons for the faith, and to encourage their people to an intense life of prayer, assiduous attention to the Word of God and frequent participation in the sacraments.