Vatican City, Oct 7, 2004 / 22:00 pm
Pope John Paul II issued a message yesterday to participants in the 44th Social Week of Italian Catholics, stressing the importance of ethical political action informed by truth - "the best antidote against ideological fanaticism."
The meeting, whose theme is "Democracy: New Scenarios, New Powers," is taking place from October 7 to 10 in Bologna. More than one thousand delegates from all over Italy who represent dioceses, associations and movements, are participating in the gathering.
The Holy Father highlights the "risks and threats, for authentic democracy, that come from certain philosophical currents, anthropological visions or political ideas with ideological prejudices."
"For example," he says, "the tendency to think that relativism is a way of thinking that responds better to democratic political forms still exists, as if knowing the truth and adhering to it were an impediment. In reality," he continued, "often people are afraid of the truth because they do not know it. The truth as Christ revealed it is a guarantee of genuine and complete liberty for the person."