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Code: ZE06042808 Date: 2006-04-28 Laments That Children Suffer "Consequences of This Eclipse"VATICAN CITY, APRIL 28, 2006 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI says the lack of love and hope is the cause of the decline in the birthrate that is leading to the aging of societies, especially in developed countries. The Pope expressed this conviction in a message addressed to the participants in the plenary session of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences, being held in the Vatican from today through Tuesday. The theme of the session, being addressed by scientists, is "Vanishing Youth? Solidarity with Children and Young People in an Age of Turbulence." In his message, written in English, the Holy Father notes: "Certain demographic indicators have clearly pointed to the urgent need for critical reflection in this area. … We are witnessing on a planetary level, and in the developed countries in particular, two significant and interconnected trends: on the one hand, an increase in life expectancy and, on the other, a decrease in birthrates." The Pontiff points out, "As societies are growing older, many nations or groups of nations lack a sufficient number of young people to renew their population." Ultimate rootsThe papal message acknowledges that the situation "is the result of multiple and complex causes -- often of an economic, social and cultural character. But its ultimate roots can be seen as moral and spiritual; they are linked to a disturbing deficit of faith, hope and, indeed, love," Benedict XVI writes. According to the Bishop of Rome, "To bring children into the world calls for self-centered eros to be fulfilled in a creative agape rooted in generosity and marked by trust and hope in the future. By its nature, love looks to the eternal," he says, quoting his encyclical, "Deus Caritas Est." "Perhaps the lack of such creative and forward-looking love is the reason why many couples today choose not to marry, why so many marriages fail, and why birthrates have significantly diminished," the Holy Father states. In fact, the Pontiff acknowledges that often "children and young people" are "the first to experience the consequences of this eclipse of love and hope. Often, instead of feeling loved and cherished, they appear to be merely tolerated. "In 'an age of turbulence' they frequently lack adequate moral guidance from the adult world, to the serious detriment of their intellectual and spiritual development." In this way, Benedict XVI continues, "[m]any children grow up in a society which is forgetful of God and of the innate dignity of the human person made in God's image." Materialistic"In a world shaped by the accelerating processes of globalization, they are often exposed solely to materialistic visions of the universe, of life and human fulfillment," the Pope states. Children and young people "need above all else to be exposed to love and to develop in a healthy human ecology, where they can come to realize that they have not been cast into the world by chance, but through a gift that is part of God's loving plan," contends the Holy Father. He continues: "Parents, educators and community leaders, if they are to be faithful to their own calling, can never renounce their duty to set before children and young people the task of choosing a life project directed towards authentic happiness, one capable of distinguishing between truth and falsehood, good and evil, justice and injustice, the real world and the world of 'virtual reality.' "Where such freedom is lacking or endangered, young people experience frustration and become incapable of striving generously for the ideals which can give shape to their lives as individuals and as members of society." © Innovative Media, Inc. For reprint permission, please contact: infoenglish@zenit.org
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