Vatican City, May 27, 2009 / 09:11 am
Individualism and a loss of a sense of belonging are becoming more and more prominent in modern society, Pope Benedict said on Tuesday as he urged a greater understanding of what it means to belong to the Church.
The Pope made his remarks yesterday evening in the basilica of St. John Lateran, cathedral of Rome, where he inaugurated the ecclesial congress of the Diocese of Rome. The congress, which is due to last until May 29, has as its theme: "Church membership and pastoral co-responsibility."
The Holy Father addressed the gathering and began by calling on ecclesial movements to work in harmony with the diocese, with "a true sense of belonging to the Church."
Lay people, the Pope said, need to redouble their commitment to "not merely to be collaborators of the clergy" but to shoulder their own specific responsibilities in the life of the Church.