Vatican City, Jan 12, 2005 / 22:00 pm
This morning at the Vatican, the Holy Father received the mayor of Rome and the presidents of the region of Lazio and the province of Rome, together with 250 employees of the city, region and province, for a traditional exchange of New Year greetings.
The Pope began his talk by expressing his "great pleasure for the approval of the Statute of the region of Lazio," noting that it "underlines the role that Rome has as the center of Catholicism, and explicitly recognizes the primacy of the person and the fundamental value of life.”
It also recognizes the rights of the family as a natural society founded on marriage and it proposes to support it in fulfilling its social function."
He added that the Statute "also provides for the region to guarantee the right to study and the freedom of educational choices."