2008-02-29 14:28:25

Pope welcomes new US ambassador


(Feb. 29, 2008) The acknowledgment and defence of the inviolable dignity and rights of every human person must be at the centre of every decision for the good of the human family, Pope Benedict XVI said on Friday. He was speaking to the new ambassador of the United States to the Holy See, Mary Ann Glendon, who presented him her credentials at a formal ceremony in the Vatican. The building of a more secure future for the human family, Pope Benedict said, means first and foremost working for the integral development of peoples, especially through the provision of adequate health care, the elimination of pandemics like AIDS, broader educational opportunities to young people, the promotion of women and the curbing of the corruption and militarization which divert precious resources from many of our brothers and sisters in the poorer countries. The Pope noted that the ‘progress of the human family is threatened not only by the plague of international terrorism, but also by such threats to peace as the quickening pace of the arms race and the continuance of tensions in the Middle East. He hoped that patient and transparent negotiations will lead to the reduction and elimination of nuclear weapons and that the recent Annapolis Conference between Israelis and Palestinians will help build lasting peace in the region. Pope Benedict also commended the importance that the US attributes to interreligious and intercultural dialogue, saying such initiatives promote nonviolence and reject ideologies which manipulate and disfigure religion for political purposes, and justify violence in the name of God. The Pontiff also commended the American people’s acknowledgement of the role of religion in shaping public discourse and in shedding light on the inherent moral dimension of social issues. This he said is particularly reflected in ensuring legal protection for God’s gift of life from conception to natural death, and the safeguarding of the institution of marriage, acknowledged as a stable union between a man and a woman, and that of the family.







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