Vocations, the human and spiritual training of priests and devotees, presence and testimony in public life, attention to the family and marriage and to the weakest ones. These are the priorities that Benedict XVI recalled as he received, in their visit ad limina, the bishops of Laos and Cambodia. The Pope recalled "the often hard conditions" in which the bishops of the two countries have to work, reassuring them of his support and his prayer. "I wish your efforts to promote calls to priesthood and religious life may be extremely fruitful", said Benedict XVI. From this perspective, "special care must be taken of ensuring that the priests receive a sound human, theological and pastoral training. Actually, one of the key issues which challenges your work is the announcement of the Christian faith in a particular culture". Benedict XVI highlighted that it is "important that Catholics show their identity within the social and religious sphere. This identity must be expressed though a genuine spiritual experience. In this connection, "the members of the Institutes of consecrated life are responsible for reminding everyone of God’s primacy". (continued)
