Rome, Italy, May 24, 2007 / 08:58 am
Amidst the current passionate debate over the role of the Church in public life in Italy, the Italian Bishops conference is holding their general assembly. This comes as the head of the conference, Archbishop Angelo Bagnasco, takes the helm as Pope Benedict’s new appointee. Bagnasco has also been in the news because he received death threats for defending marriage and denouncing the immorality of practicing homosexuality.
The Holy Father gave his support to the bishops and the laity who recently asserted the right of the Church to speak in the public square. This action has produced in the Pope the, "conviction that in Italy the faith is alive and profoundly rooted, and that the Church is an organization of the people, a capillary network close to individuals and families. ... The Catholic faith and the presence of the Church remain the great unifying factor of this beloved nation and a precious reservoir of moral energies for the future."