Vatican conference looks at pastoral, medical aspects of depression

Published: 2003-11-12

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Cases of depression are increasing around the world, and the underlying causes can be found in a culture that promises power and wealth but leaves many people afraid, Vatican officials said. The officials spoke Nov. 12 at a press conference to introduce a three-day Vatican conference on depression, bringing together a wide array of medical and pastoral experts. "They say depression is the principal killer of our age, and I don't think one should be surprised," said Cardinal Javier Lozano Barragan, president of the Pontifical Council for Health Care Workers. "Unfortunately, the post-modern culture is a culture empty of values, founded on well-being and pleasure, in which economic profit counts as the supreme goal," Cardinal Lozano said. For all its progress, he said, modern culture has not been able to do away with death. The fact that the Christian faith faces the meaning of life and death and offers transcendent answers means that it also has much to offer about the topic of depression, he said.

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