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Skriven 2006-05-15 07:09:18 av Marc Lewis (1:396/45)
Ärende: Vatican Information Service - Press Release
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Hello All!

                The following press release is Copyrighted by the
                          Vatican Information Service.
                ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                               VIS-Press releases

MARRIAGE IS A REAL GOOD FOR SOCIETY

VATICAN CITY, MAY 11, 2006 (VIS) - Benedict XVI today received participants in
an international congress promoted by the John Paul II Institute for Studies on
Marriage and the Family of the Pontifical Lateran University. The institute is
currently celebrating its 25th anniversary, and the theme of the congress is:
"The heritage of John Paul II on marriage and the family: to love human love."

At the beginning of his address, Benedict XVI recalled how on May 13, 1981, the
day of Ali Agca's assassination attempt against the Pope, John Paul II had been
due to announce the foundation of the institute during his general audience.
Today the institute has its headquarters in Rome, and other sections located in
the United States, Mexico, India, Benin, Australia, Spain and Brazil.

The Holy Father identified two elements characterizing "the novelty of John
Paul II's teaching on human love." The first is the fact that "marriage and the
family are rooted in the most intimate core of truth about man and his
destiny." The second element is "that Christ, fullness of the Father's
revelation of love, also reveals the full truth of man's vocation of love,
which can only be completely achieved in the sincere giving of self."

Benedict XVI then recalled how his own recent Encyclical "Deus caritas est"
highlighted the fact that "the close relationship between the image of God Love
and human love enables us to understand that 'corresponding to the image of a
monotheistic God is monogamous marriage. Marriage based on exclusive and
definitive love becomes the icon of the relationship between God and His people
and vice versa. God's way of loving becomes the measure of human love'."

"This idea has still largely to be explored," the Pope said, adding that the
institute's task is "to illuminate the truth of love as a road to completeness
in all forms of human existence. ... Authentic love becomes a light guiding all
life to its fulfillment, creating a society in which mankind can live. The
communion of life and love that is marriage is thus ... a real good for
society."

The Holy Father concluded: "Avoiding confusion with other kinds of union based
on a weak form of love is, today, particularly urgent. Only the rock of
complete and irrevocable love between man and woman is capable of acting as a
foundation for a society that can be home to all human beings."
AG/MARRIAGE:FAMILY/... VIS 060511 (410)

SUMMARY

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