Pope tells youth: learning to love is central

March 24, 2010

In a message to a youth forum being held this week in Rocca di Papa, Italy, Pope Benedict XVI said that learning the true meaning of love is "central to faith and Christian life."

In his message-- addressed to Cardinal Stanislaw Rylko, the president of the Pontifical Council for the Laity, which is coordinating this week's forum-- the Holy Father made a special plea for young men to consider the priesthood, noting that St. John Mary Vianney said that "the priesthood is love of the heart of Jesus."

Recognizing that most of the forum participants will pursue a vocation to marriage, the Pontiff reminded them that Christian marriage requires a definitive commitment, and society today often neither recognizes nor supports that commitment. The Pope said: "In a cultural context in which many people consider matrimony as a temporary contract that can be broken, it is vitally important to understand that true love is faithful, a definitive gift of self."

 

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Further information:

• Learning to Love is Central to Christian Life (VIS)