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Skriven 2007-05-11 08:06:06 av Marc Lewis (1:396/45)
Ärende: Vatican Information Service - Press Release
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                               VIS-Press releases

CHRISTIAN VALUES WILL NEVER BE ERADICATED

VATICAN CITY, MAY 9, 2007 (VIS) - Today at 4 p.m. (9 p.m. in Rome), the Pope's
plane landed at the international airport of Sao Paulo / Guarulhos in Brazil,
thus beginning the sixth apostolic trip outside Italy of his pontificate.
Benedict XVI was received by Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, president of the
Federal Republic of Brazil, accompanied by the civil, military and religious
authorities.

In his welcome address, the Pope affirmed that his visit "has a scope that goes
beyond national borders: I have come to preside at the opening Session of the
Fifth General Conference of the Episcopate of Latin America and the Caribbean
at Aparecida. This country, in the providence and goodness of the Creator, will
become the cradle of the ecclesial proposals that, with God's help, will give
renewed vigor and missionary impetus to this continent."

The fact that Catholics represent a majority in Brazil, he went on, "means that
they must make a particular contribution to the common good of the nation. The
word solidarity will acquire its full meaning when the living forces of
society, each in its own sphere, commit themselves seriously to building a
future of peace and hope for all."

"I am well aware that the soul of this people, as of all Latin America,
safeguards values that are radically Christian, which will never be eradicated.
I am certain that at Aparecida, during the bishops' general conference, this
identity will be reinforced through the promotion of respect for life from the
moment of conception until natural death as an integral requirement of human
nature. It will also make the promotion of the human person the axis of
solidarity, especially towards the poor and abandoned.

"The Church," he added, "seeks only to stress the moral values present in each
situation and to form the conscience of citizens so that they may make informed
and free decisions. She will not fail to insist on the need to take action to
ensure that the family, the basic cell of society, is strengthened, and
likewise young people, whose formation is a decisive factor for the future of
any nation. Last but not least, she will defend and promote the values present
at every level of society, especially among indigenous peoples."

The welcome ceremony over, the Pope travelled by helicopter to the "Campo de
Marte" airport in Sao Paulo where he was received by the local authorities. He
then went by popemobile to the monastery of Sao Bento where, following a moment
of prayer in the chapel, he appeared at the balcony to greet and bless the
faithful awaiting him below.
PV-BRAZIL/ARRIVAL/SAO PAULOVIS 070510 (450)

SUMMARY

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