(May 18, 2012) Pope Benedict XVI has sent his blessing to an Italian Catholic charity
that promotes literacy in poor countries around the globe. The Pope’s felicitation
was conveyed in a message sent by Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone,
to Msgr. Aldo Martini, president of the Institution for the Promotion of Literacy
in the World, known by its Italian acronym OPAM. The NGO is marking its 40th anniversary
with a two-day international conference that began on Friday in Rome, on the theme:
“Humanism of Fragility: Lessons from the South of the World.” Cardinal Bertone wrote
that the Holy Father while assuring the group of his spiritual closeness was encouraging
it to continue with renewed thrust its commitment to literacy and education in the
most disadvantaged countries in reciprocal enrichment among the various cultures and
building brotherhood among ecclesial communities. OPAM was founded in 1972 by Italian
missionary priest Fr. Carlo Muratore, after he returned to Italy after 5 years in
Venezuela, thoroughly convinced that education was the key to any kind of development.