Spur young to live Gospel values, Pope tells Italian Bishops

(May 27,2010) Pope Benedict XVI on Thursday praised the Italian Bishops Conference - CEI, for making education a priority of their mission for the next ten years. The Pope made the remarks during his address to the General Assembly of the Italian Bishops Conference and he expressed his thanks to it’s President – Cardinal Angelo Bagnsaco saying he knew, he could always count on their support.
Referring to the Gospel of last Sunday – the Solemnity of Pentecost, the Pope said “The Holy Spirit guides the Church in the world and in history. He told the bishops as education was their priority, they must propose to young people to live the truth, the beauty and the goodness of the Christian experience. Acknowledging the fact that life is faced by many difficulties, the Pope told them to awaken in the young and in the communities, a passion for education, which he stressed must not simply be a teaching of a set of techniques but inculcate in them the true values of life.
The Pope said teaching has never been easy, but we must not give up. Stating that the transmission of faith is an indispensable part in the training of whole person, the Pope mentioned the family, the school and the parish as the crucial places where the right values can be instilled. The Pope encouraged the Italian Bishops to spur young people to live a life based on the principles of the Gospel, despite the cultural and spiritual and the economic crises facing the world today. The Pope appealed to leaders and employers to do everything in their power to resolve the employment crises. Stating that the Church cares about the common good, Pope told them that during his recent visit to Portugal, he placed all their concerns and expectations at the feet of Our Lady of Fatima.