POPE JOHN PAUL II encouraged Italy to continue its peacekeeping and humanitarian missions abroad, even while knowing some of the missions carry risks.
He told Giuseppe Balboni Acqua, Italy’s new ambassador to the Vatican, that “this commitment carries risks”.
But the Holy Father asked the Italian people to continue their work for peace, dialogue and development abroad, particularly in the Mediterranean basin, the Balkans, the Middle East, Afghanistan and Africa.
The Pope also focused on the state of family life in Italy “which in the opinion of many is besieged today by a misunderstood sense of rights”.
He said it was the “task of the government to promote laws which favour the vitality” of the family, encourage families to stay together and provide financial assistance.