|
Pope reiterates abortion stance
10/05/2007 13:01 - (SA)
Sao Paulo - Pope Benedict XVI had a busy day of courtesy calls on his visit to Brazil, home to nearly half of the world's 1.1 billion Roman Catholics, culminating in an "encounter with youth" at a soccer stadium.
Benedict XVI arrived in Brazil on Wednesday for his first visit to Latin America, and underscored his defence of the traditional family and opposition to abortion.
Soon after stepping off the papal plane in Sao Paulo, South America's biggest metropolis, the conservative leader of the Roman Catholic Church stated that it "will not fail to insist on the need to take action to ensure that the family, the basic cell of society, is strengthened".
And the 80-year-old pope referred again to the need to promote "respect for life from the moment of conception until natural death as an integral requirement of human nature".
Abortion decriminalised
The remarks come just two weeks after the Church lost a key social battle when Mexico City, an important Catholic bastion, decriminalised abortion.
During a news conference on the papal plane en route to Brazil, Benedict backed a threat by Mexican bishops to excommunicate lawmakers who voted for the bill.
Mexico City is one of the few places in Latin America where abortion is allowed without restrictions in the first three months of pregnancy.
Benedict XVI rode for about five kilometres in the Popemobile as crowds thronged his route, despite a steady drizzle, to the 17th-century Sao Bento monastery in the oldest part of Sao Paulo where he is residing.
Speaking to pilgrims from a balcony in the complex, Benedict said: "In every corner of the world people are praying for the fruits of this journey."
The main purpose of the visit will be to open a conference of Latin American bishops in the nearby sanctuary town of Aparecida on Sunday, expected to focus on ways to counter evangelical Protestantism's huge growth across the region.
Evangelicals increasing
In Brazil, 64% of the population is Catholic, but the figure has plunged from 74% a decade ago, according to a recent study.
Meanwhile the number of evangelicals has risen to 17% from 11%, said the Datafolha institute study based on 44 642 interviews.
"We should be more missionary, or more dynamic, to offer responses to the thirst for God," said Benedict during the on-board news conference. "People want to be close to God ... and at the same time they accept those who promise solutions to their problems of daily lives."
Thursday, the pope has a round of courtesy calls planned, including a meeting with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who greeted him at the airport on Wednesday.
Benedict will also meet with representatives of other religions at the Sao Bento monastery.
Later he will once again board the Popemobile to travel to Sao Paulo's Pacaembu stadium where young people will gather to hear him speak on the theme "Youth, Disciples and Missionaries of Jesus Chris".
- AFP
|
News
