Vatican City, Jun 2, 2008 / 16:14 pm
On Saturday Pope Benedict XVI received members of the Centesimus Annus Pro Pontifice organization, telling them that “harmonious” human development is possible and that mankind must remain the focus of all economic planning.
The Holy Father took the opportunity to comment on the group’s discussions about the need to “promote a form of global development that remains attentive to the integral promotion of mankind.”
"Harmonious development is possible," Pope Benedict said, "if political and economic choices ... take into account the fundamental principles which make [such development] accessible to everyone: ... subsidiarity and solidarity."
“Only a shared culture of responsible and active participation will enable human beings to consider themselves not just as users or passive witnesses, but active participants in world development," he said.