Migration & Refugee Services Articles
By Carol Glatz
www.catholicnews.com
May 16, 2008
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- If the trafficking of women and children and prostitution are to be stopped, poverty and the "trivialization of sexuality" must be tackled, Pope Benedict XVI said.
The media and entertainment industries' trivialization of human sexuality "fuels a decline in moral values and leads to the degradation of women, the weakening of fidelity in marriage and even the abuse of children," he said.
The pope made his remarks May 16 during a private audience with Catholic bishops from Thailand at the end of their "ad limina" visits, in which they reported on the status of their dioceses.
The pope praised the bishops for their efforts in trying to address the problem of poverty through the church's development programs.
But the way human sexuality is depicted also must be "acknowledged and collectively addressed if this abhorrent human exploitation is to be effectively confronted," he said.
The pope encouraged the bishops to work together with Buddhist leaders to "uphold the spiritual and moral soul of your people."
On one hand, globalization has enhanced "a sense of global solidarity and shared responsibility for the well-being of humanity," he said.
However, he said globalization also has brought with it "disturbing signs of fragmentation and a certain individualism" as secularism takes hold and pushes "the transcendent and the sense of the sacred to the margins" and eclipses "the very source of harmony and unity within the universe."
Therefore, interreligious cooperation is important so religious leaders can work together and help make sure traditions are handed down to future generations, ethical values are made understandable to people, and prayer, contemplation and the transcendent continue to be respected and revered, he said.
Pope Benedict urged men and women religious running schools and other educational institutes in Thailand to make sure the primary role they play is not one "of administration but of mission."
They should be witnesses of Christ, dedicated to dialogue, and serve human dignity and peace, he said.
Catholics schools should offer catechetical instruction to Catholics and interested students as well as "moral formation and care for the spiritual needs of all in the school community."
He urged religious orders to make their schools more accessible to the poor "who so often long for the faithful embrace of Christ" and make sure school fees are "fair and transparent."
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