"Mary, lay your eyes on the Agorà dei Giovani so that it may be the fertile soil of the Italian Church". It is a passage from the prayer that, composed by Benedict XVII "in the run-up to the meeting I will have with the youth in Loreto" next September, the Pope wanted to say this morning in the Basilica of Saint Peter’s, where, before the general audience, he greeted the bishops and the congregations of the dioceses of the region Marches, who are on a visit ad limina on these days. The Pope mentioned the work carried out by the bishops of the Region Marches, the priests, the lay priests, the pastoral workers, wishing they may keep "devoting all their efforts" to the Christian education "in the cities as well as in the smaller towns". "May the Practise of the sacraments not be dissociated from a sound religious training that will withstand, undiminished, the widespread challenges and urges" of society", exhorted the Pontiff. Hence his final invitation: "Let’s look to the future with hope and let’s work with passionate confidence in the vineyard of the Lord!" The Agorà dei giovani italiani is a national three-year course focussed on the youth world. The highlight of 2007 is the meeting in Loreto (1-2 September). Info about Agorà dei giovani: www.agoradeigiovani.it.
