PONTIFICAL
COUNCIL FOR INTERRELIGIOUS DIALOGUE
MESSAGE FOR THE END OF RAMADAN
‘Id al-Fitr 1425 A.H . / 2004 A.D.
Children, Gift of God for the Future of Humanity
Dear Friends,
1. This year again, at the time when
you are preparing to celebrate 'Id al-Fitr at the end of the month of
Ramadan, I wish to offer you very best wishes on behalf of the Pontifical
Council for Interreligious Dialogue, the office of His Holiness the Pope for
relations with people of other religions. In their prayers many Christians have
been thinking about you and accompanying you during this month of fasting, a
month which occupies such an important place in the life of your community. At
the earliest age possible you teach your children to observe this month of
fasting, thus developing in them a sense of God and a spirit of religious
obedience, at the same time helping them to train their will and to acquire
self-discipline. In this way the family is, par excellence, the place
where your children receive their first religious education.
2. Today I would like to call
attention to children in general and to the welcome they should receive, at
different moments of their life, from their parents, their family and from
society. Every child has an inalienable right to life and, in so far as this is
possible, to be welcomed within a natural, stable family. All children have
moreover the right to nourishment, clothing and protection, and furthermore to
be educated so that there may develop in them, and that later they may develop
in themselves, all their capacities. In this perspective the child, when sick
or victim of an accident, has the right to receive all necessary care. The life
of the child, just as the life of every human person, is sacred.
3. You consider the child to be a
blessing from God, in particular for the parents. As Christians we share with
you this religious attitude, but our Christian faith teaches us also to
discover in the child a model for our relationship with God. Jesus has given us
as an example the child's simplicity and trust, docility and liveliness,
showing us in this way how we should live in trusting submission to God.
4. On several occasions these last
years representatives of the Holy See and of countries with a Muslim majority
have defended together in international fora fundamental human values. It was
often a matter of defending the rights of those who are the weakest, and
notably the family as the natural environment in which children are nurtured
and their rights are better preserved.
5. Although the child has benefited,
at least in certain parts of the world and in certain areas of life, from
progress in respect for human rights, there are still many evils which cause
suffering. Too many children are forced to engage in heavy work that endangers
their physical and psychological development, prevents them from attending
school and thus deprives them of the instruction to which they have a right.
Many others are conscripted or involved in wars and conflicts. Children have
also been the first victims of the increase in sexual abuse and in prostitution
over these last years.
Above all children are victims of certain changes in society. When families
break up it is the children who are the first to suffer. The increase in the
use of drugs and in drug trafficking, especially in poor countries, often
involves children, to their great harm. Again, the despicable trafficking in
organs concerns children in a particular way, and the tragedy of AIDS often
means that they are infected from birth.
6. Faced with these evils that affect
our children, dear friends, we should unite our efforts, reminding people of
the dignity of every human being whose existence is willed by God Himself. We
should denounce untiringly everything that degrades the child, combating with
all the force we can muster the "structures of sin", to use an
expression taken up by Pope John Paul II. We are conscious that on the future
of children depends the future of humanity. I hope therefore that our common
endeavors in favor of children will continue and may in fact increase. In this
way we shall give further proof of the benefit that can come from religion for
the whole human community.
7. During this month of Ramadan, may
your children be strong in accomplishing good works. May they, at the same
time, learn to resist illusory promises of happiness and passing pleasures,
thus acquiring greater inner freedom and becoming more perfect in their
submission to God. May their lives in this way bear witness to the importance
of religious values. Once more, I wish to assure you of my prayers to the
Almighty and Merciful God for you and for your children. May God pour down on
you His blessings. May He strengthen your families and instill in them a spirit
of generous service to the glory of His name. May he grant each one of you His
peace.
Archbishop Michael L. Fitzgerald
President
