Vatican City, Mar 6, 2010 / 07:24 am
The Holy Father met with thousands of members of the Italian Civil Protection Service on Saturday in the Paul VI Hall. He commended their voluntary service in protection of the common good and the dignity of man, comparing their work to that of the Good Samaritan.
Drawing attention to the strength of the volunteer organization in its approximately 1.3 million members, Pope Benedict XVI called it "one of the most recent and mature expressions of the long tradition of solidarity," which has its foundation "in the altruism and generosity of the Italian people."
Italian Civil Protection Service’s (ICPS) mission and "vocation" of protecting people and their dignity, he said, is well-represented in the name of the organization.
The ICPS provides assistance and security for national and international emergencies as well as major events, such as World Youth Day 2000 in Rome. They offered a massive response following the earthquake that rocked L'Aquila, Italy April 6, 2009.