Benedict XVI reminds Roman politicians of their responsibilities

The Sovereign Pontiff reminded the Roman political leaders – all members of the Italian Left – of their responsibilities as public administrators. “It is a grave error to cast a shadow over the value and the function of the legitimate family founded on marriage, by giving other types of unions unwarranted legal recognition, for which in fact, no social demand exists.”

 Confirming his opposition to the Italian proposal, of “a French style PACS” for “de facto couples,” the pope specified that “marriage and family are not in fact a sociological structure which came about by chance, nor the fruit of particular historical and economic situations. On the contrary, the question of the true relationship between a man and a woman is rooted in the very essence of the human being and can find its response on that basis alone.” Thus “marriage as an institution is not an unfounded interference of society or authority, an imposition of an exterior form on the most private reality; on the contrary, it concerns an exigency intrinsic to the pact of conjugal love,” he insisted. Explaining that it is not a question of specific norms of Catholic morality but indeed, “elementary truths which concern our shared humanity.”

 Benedict XVI then listed several measures to be taken in order to support young married couples, from the birth of their children, concerning the cost of accommodation, day care centers and nursery schools. “The defense of unborn life demands the same attention,” the pope continued, as “it is advisable to see that pregnant women who find themselves in difficult conditions do not lack concrete help, and to avoid the introduction of medicines which hide in a certain way, the gravity of abortion as a choice against life.”