Pope Addresses Bishops of Africa and Europe

(February 16, 2012) Pope Benedict XVI in his address to the Bishops of Europe and Africa in Rome on Thursday placed before them the many challenges faced by the church such as religious indifference which leads many people to live as if God does not exist, the secularized environment hostile to Christian faith and the crises in the family life. The Pope reminded the Prelates of their pastoral responsibility and called for a renewed commitment on their part to resolve the problems placed before them. This Second Symposium of the European and African Bishops opened in Rome on the 13^th of February with the theme "Evangelization Today: Communion and pastoral cooperation between Africa and Europe. The human person and God: the Church's mission to proclaim the presence and love of God". The five day Symposium is to conclude with a pilgrimage to the Shrine of the Holy Face in Manoppello, on Friday. The Pontiff said that as pastors, the family must be the centre of their attention. It is the domestic church and is also the most solid guarantee for the renewal of society. In the family which houses customs, traditions, and rituals is imbued with faith and is the most suitable place for the flowering of vocations and the training of young people. Europe and Africa said the Pope, is in need of generous young men, who can responsibly take charge of their future and of the Society. It is the Church’s role to do everything possible to ensure that their future is certain and bright. Pope Benedict stressed the fact that while the Symposium had an opportunity to reflect on the problems of the Church in the two continents, they have the task of giving the assurance that the Church is alive, growing, and is not afraid to carry out its mission of evangelization.