Vatican City, Nov 13, 2003 / 22:00 pm
Pope John Paul II explained today how to take care of depressed people and encouraged families "to integrate them into a community of faith and a life in which they feel loved, understood, supported, dignified, that is to love and to be loved."
"The spread of depression has become worrying. Human, psychological and spiritual fragility is manifested through the disease, which at least in part is induced by society," the Holy Father added at the Paul VI Hall, where he received participants of the 18th International Conference on Depression, organized by the Pontifical Council for Health Care Ministry.
The Pope warned that "it is important to be aware of the repercussions that the messages sent by the media - which exalt consumerism, the immediate gratification of one's every desire, the constant search for greater material well-being - have on people".
He stressed that "it is necessary to propose new ways so that every person may be able to improve their own personality, cultivating their spiritual life which is the foundation of a mature existence."