Lack of Hope called today's greatest evil

(Sept. 26, 2012) The lack of hope is called today’s greatest evil and when members of the Council of European Episcopal Conferences - CCEE, gather on Thursday to begin their plenary assembly, they will be addressing the "greatest evil of our time”, said Hungarian Cardinal Péter Erdő, Archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest and CCEE president.
The theme of the bishops' four-day meeting is the social and spiritual aspects of the challenges of our times. The bishops will consider the topic through three different perspectives. Cardinal Erdő noted that the difficult economy can bring people to "easily allow themselves to succumb to the major epidemic of our time: despair."
The 60-year-old cardinal suggested that an "anthropological revolution" is under way, which "disorientates the human person, and runs the risk of making the person lose him or herself. "But,” he continued, “the Church has the answer to the most profound expectations and yearnings of humanity, which is Christ." The Cardinal said "The new evangelization, the theme which has been accompanying us in recent years, is an opportunity and an appeal, to work, so that Christ, always the same yesterday and today, can be understood and welcomed by everyone."
The CCEE president proposed - "A heart which has found its way in Christ will be able to perform miracles in the family, at school, at work and in different national and international institutions. The bishops will also look at other issues, including the issue of anti-Christian discrimination in Europe and the persecution of Christians throughout the world and the question of freedom of religion. the work of the European Union and the Council of Europe; the Year of Faith; and the 50th anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council.