Pontifical academy looks at changes in relations among generations

Published: 2004-05-03

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- As links disintegrate within extended families, care of the weakest members of society increasingly is left to already-strained government welfare systems, said speakers at the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences. Academy members and invited experts met April 29-May 3 at the Vatican to begin a discussion on ways to strengthen "intergenerational solidarity," the traditional circle of caring that links grandparents, parents and children. Mary Ann Glendon, a U.S. professor of law who is the new president of the academy, said the intent of the 2004 meeting was to examine the current state of relations between generations in various parts of the world. The examination included presentations on demographic and cultural changes as well as on the challenges facing government welfare systems. Academy members planned to continue the discussion in 2005, gathering suggestions from an international group of experts on how to forge new forms of solidarity, Glendon said.

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