Vatican City (AsiaNews) - "Unfortunately, the Church can no longer count on the support of society at large to promote the Christian understanding of marriage as a permanent and indissoluble union ordered to procreation and the sanctification of the spouses". But the "swift and dramatic changes" taking place in contemporary society according to Catholic teaching on marriage and the family pose not only a "serious challenge, new possibilities to proclaim the liberating truth of the Gospel message to transform and elevate all human relationships". A goal, in the words of Benedict XVI towards which care in the formation of young people is essential.
Receiving the bishops of the Syro-Malabar Church of India for their quinquennial visit “ad Limina Apostolorum”, Benedict XVI recommended that “families look to the Lord and his saving word for a complete and truly positive vision of life and marital relations, so necessary for the good of the whole human family”.
In view of this, the Pope has requested the support of bishops and priests for a "the sound and integral education of young people in the ways of chastity and responsibility will not only enable them to embrace the true nature of marriage, but will also benefit Indian culture as a whole"
The importance of formation of religious was also stressed by the Pope, protagonists, even in India, of many valuable works of education and charity. "The Church - he added - insists that preparation for religious profession is to be marked by long and careful discernment with the goal of ensuring, before final vows are made, that each candidate is firmly rooted in Christ, solid in his or her capacity for genuine commitment and joyful in the gift of self to Jesus Christ and his Church" To the Bishops of a Church which indicates the Apostle Thomas as its founder and has over three million faithful, particularly in Kerala, Benedict XVI stressed the importance of the ministry of unity. " This responsibility is particularly important in a country like India, where it reflects the unity of the Church in the rich diversity of its rituals and traditions. "