” ” ” “Today’s Italy is "a land hat deeply needs and at the same time is extremely favourable" to a Christian testimony, partly because "the seriousness of the risk of missing out on the Christian roots of our civilisation is clearly felt". This was said this morning by Benedict XVI, in his speech to the delegates of the IV National ecclesial meeting of Verona. According to the Pope, in Italy there is "a new wave of Enlightenment and laicism" while "in practice, individual freedom is raised to a fundamental value, which all the others should be subordinate to". "So, God is left out of culture and public life he commented and faith in Him becomes harder, partly because we live in a world that in most cases is our own work, in which, as it were, God no longer appears directly, where He seems to have become useless and alien". Also ethics, he added, "is left within the boundaries of relativism and utilitarianism, leaving out any moral principle that is valid and binding in itself". This form of culture, according to the Pope "cannot establish a true dialogue with the other cultures, in which the religious dimension is powerfully present, as well as being unable to answer the fundamental questions on the meaning and direction of our life". (to be continued)
