Vatican City, Oct 21, 2004 / 22:00 pm
Pope John Paul II, in an address to bishops from Angola and Sao Tome this morning – the 26th anniversary of the beginning of his papal ministry – spoke about the need to work for justice and reconciliation and urged the education of chastity and chaste love as the “solid hope to overcome the forces that threaten the institution of the family, and at the same time, to free humanity of the devastating scourge of AIDS."
The Pope, who urged the bishops “to rebuild the communities destroyed by war, to console wounded hearts and help the people entrusted to you so that they may make progress on the path of the Gospel," said that "today more than ever, Angola needs peace with justice; specifically reconciliation, rejecting every temptation to resort to violence…I urge you to work tirelessly for reconciliation and to bear authentic witness through acts of solidarity and aid for victims of the decades of violence," said the Holy Father.
Turning his thoughts to threats facing family life, he exhorted proclaim "the liberating message of authentic Christian love," urging educational programs to emphasize that "true love is chaste love, and that chastity offers us solid hope to overcome the forces that threaten the institution of the family, and at the same time, to free humanity of the devastating scourge of AIDS."
The Holy Father urged young people to have recourse to the sacraments saying that "through a life of prayer and a solid sacramental life, they will remain united to Christ in order to pass on the values of the Gospel in their environments and they will generously assume their role in transforming society."