The Pope, as he said in his address to the government, is here to address the youth. In his first public address to them, he didn't hold back, but went right to the meaty subject at hand.
Addressing the youth, Pope Benedict touched upon the social ills that plague society - alcohol and drug abuse, the exaltation of violence and sexual degradation.
"There is also something sinister which stems from the fact that freedom and tolerance are so often separated from truth," said the Holy Father. "This is fueled by the notion, widely held today, that there are no absolute truths to guide our lives. Relativism, by indiscriminately giving value to practically everything, has made 'experience' all-important. Yet, experiences, detached from any consideration of what is good or ture, can lead, not to genuine freedom, but to moral or intellectual confusion, to a lowering of standards, to a loss of self-respect, and even to despair."
He then spent time reflecting on the meaning of Christian baptism.
"You were adopted as a son or daughter of the Father," said Pope Benedict XVI. "You were incorporated into Christ. You were made a dwelling place of his Spirit. Baptism is neither an achievement, nor a reward. It is a grace, it is God's work."
He reminded the young people to recall that they are a "new creation."
"There are many today who claim that God should be left on the sidelines, and that religion and faith, while fine for individuals, should either be excluded from the public forum altogether or included only in the pursuit of limited pragmatic goals. This secularist vision seeks to explain human life and shape society with little or no reference to the Creator. It presents itself as neutral, impartial, and inclusive of everyone. But in reality, like every ideology, secularism imposes a world-view. If God is irrelevant to public life, then society will be shaped in a godless image, and debate and policy concerning the public good will be driven more by consequences than by principles grounded in truth."
"...God's creation is one and it is good. The concerns for non-violence, sustainable development, justice and peace, and care for our environment are of vital importance for humanity. They cannot, however, be understood apart from a profound reflection upon the innate dignity of every human life from conception to natural death: a dignity conferred by God himself and thus inviolable."
The message seemed to resonate with those who heard it.
"He was addressing the yough with the problems of today,as if to say we need to do something about them," said Gabriel Walz, a seminarian from the Diocese of St. Cloud, Minn. "He was giving us a task. I found it powerful and meaningful that he would empower the youth with this."
-- Tim Drake
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