Vatican City, Jan 26, 2005 / 22:00 pm
"Loving the Lord ... means life to you and length of days" was announced today as the Holy Father’s theme for this Lent, based on Deuteronomy 30:20.
Archbishop Paul Josef Cordes, president of the Pontifical Council "Cor Unum", and Bishop Andre-Mutien Leonard of Namur, Belgium, an expert in questions relating to euthanasia, presented Pope John Paul II’s message this morning in the Vatican press office.
Archbishop Cordes affirmed that "the current relevance of the Message is clear when the Pope writes: 'Thanks to the contribution of science and medicine, one sees in society today a lengthening of the human life span and a subsequent increase in the number of elderly'."
The archbishop pointed out how "the number of elderly people has increased rapidly over recent years, while at the same time the number of young people has diminished," consequently "a small percentage of young people must bear the burden of the large number of elderly."