(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.