Pope says church, Peru's government together can protect moral values

Published: 2007-03-16

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Working together, the Catholic Church and the Peruvian government can protect the traditional moral values that Peru needs as it consolidates social peace and works for the prosperity of all its citizens, Pope Benedict XVI said. "Only with respect for the moral law that defends and protects the human person can one build peace, favoring stable social progress," the pope said March 16 in a speech welcoming Alfonso Rivero Monsalve as Peru's new ambassador to the Vatican. The pope said he is pleased that the Peruvian government and the country's Catholic community have worked together to promote health and education, and to combat poverty and corruption. As Peru undergoes the "profound changes" brought by its increasing participation in the globalized economy, the pope said, people must be aware of the stress those changes are placing "directly on persons and their values."

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