Pope : Public square needs true Christian Politicians

Pope Benedict XVI today called for truly Christian politicians to promote life, the family, solidarity with the poor, liberty and the search for the common good.


The Holy Father was speaking to the participants in the Plenary Assembly of the Pontifical Council for the Laity, which is underway this week here at the Vatican.


The theme of the 24th Plenary Assembly of the Pontifical Council for the Laity is centred on the theme of being witnesses to Christ in the political community."


In remarks to the participants on Friday in the Apostolic Palace, Pope Benedict said, “The times in which we live in place us before large and complex problems,” and that the social question has become, at the same time, an anthropological question.


The question of how to order our lives together in society involves the question of the nature of human being. Pope Benedict also spoke of the need for a strong moral foundation to support free society, saying the spread of a confused cultural relativism and a utilitarian and hedonistic individualism weakens democracy.


He spoke of the need to recover and revive genuine political wisdom, and stressed that it is the mission of the Church to express its moral judgment even on matters concerning the political order, when so required by the basic rights of the person and by the salvation of souls.


The Church concentrates in particular in educating the Disciples of Christ, so they may increasingly be witnesses to His presence everywhere."


“Christians,” said Pope Benedict, "do not seek political or cultural hegemony, but wherever they commit themselves, they are moved by the certainty that Christ is the cornerstone of every human construction.”