Cardinal Parolin urges Catholic lawmakers to protect family life, alleviate poverty

September 01, 2014

Addressing an international conference of Catholic legislators, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s Secretary of State, called upon lawmakers “not only to live ‘in the midst of the world’ but also to be ‘a leaven in the world’ in favor of the family, the local community, and your respective nations.”

“The great challenge for you is to bring your faith to bear upon the pressing issues facing the world today, that is, to dialogue with society and culture, and to humbly speak from the light which our faith offers,” he added. “This means, by your words, by your witness and by your legislative and political actions informed by faith, you are called to foster a more just society, centered on the dignity of the human person.”

Cardinal Parolin continued:

The Church knows your work is not easy. She understands the many threats to family life, in the form of policies and laws that allow or even hasten the dissolving of the family. She is also fully aware of the urgent need to alleviate poverty and to support the integral development of society’s most neglected members. And so, just as the Church needs you, you need the Church. She places at your disposal her sacraments, her wise counsel, and her commitment to the moral truths of the natural law.

Cardinal Parolin also paid tribute to St. Augustine’s City of God and said that “in our own difficult times, too, valuable indications emerge clearly from the experiences and teachings of Saint Augustine.”

 

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Further information:

• Catholic legislators urged ‘to be leaven in the world’ (Vatican Radio)