Pope tells Spanish Catholics to resist efforts to silence church

Published: 2005-01-24

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Catholics in Spain must resist efforts to silence the Catholic Church and the Christian faith in their country's political and social life, Pope John Paul II said. Spanish Catholics must give "a public and credible witness" to the importance of protecting human life at every stage of its development, to religious education, to the truth of marriage as a lifelong union between a man and woman and to defending the family, the pope said. Pope John Paul met Jan. 24 with the first group of bishops from Spain making their "ad limina" visits to the Vatican in 2005. Bishops make the visit every five years to report on the status of their dioceses. The pope told the bishops that "the strength to face the obstacles and overcome the difficulties of the present moment" can be found in the Eucharist and that church leaders must do more to convince Spanish Catholics of the importance of regular Mass attendance.

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