Maria, ster van de evangelisatie

"That children and young people may be messengers of the Gospel and that they may be respected and preserved from all violence and exploitation"

Pope Benedict XVI received the bishops of Angola and Sao Tomé on Saturday, who are here in Rome for their ad limina visits. In greeting the bishops, the Holy Father recalled his March, 2009 visit to Luanda, during which he said he was able to celebrate Jesus Christ in the midst of a people who never tire of seeking to love and serve with generosity and joy. Pope Benedict also used the occasion to explain that his recent decision to proclaim the Year of Faith from October 2012 to November 2013, was so that the whole Church might demonstrate to all a more beautiful and credible face, that the face of the Lord might show through the Church more clearly.

God’s “concern” for every human being, shown especially by the protection of guardian angels, was one of the focal points of Pope Benedict XVI’s remarks to the faithful gathered for the Sunday Angelus prayer in St. Peter’s Square. The Pope also discussed this Sunday's Gospel, noting that the reading from the 21^st chapter of the Gospel according to St. Matthew, “closes with a particularly severe warning from Jesus, addressed to the chief priests and elders of the people: Therefore, I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that will produce its fruit. (Matt. 21.43).”

This year’s International Literacy Day, celebrated world-wide on 8 September, will focus on the link between literacy and peace. 

On International Literacy Day each year, UNESCO reminds the international community of the status of literacy and adult learning globally. 

Insisting that “each and every young person should be able to... grow and learn... free from all violence and discord... in a family environment, in an atmosphere of happiness, love and understanding”, the Holy See took the floor of the General Assembly Hall on the final day of the United Nations High-level Meeting on Youth. 

Archbishop Francis Chullikatt, The Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations, reminded delegates that a family is “founded on the marriage between one man and one woman” and that the General Assembly declares that it is “the natural and fundamental group unit of society and must be guaranteed protection by society and the State” (Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Art. 16,3). He commended to their attention the deep desire of many youth for “personal relationships marked by truth and solidarity” and for a “family that will remain united”.