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Church committed to children, defends the right to a family, pope says
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VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Despite the deplorable behavior of a few priests, the Catholic Church continues to be a leading promoter of the rights of children and of their well being and education, Pope Benedict XVI said. "The harsh words of Jesus against those who would scandalize one of the little ones requires the commitment of all to never lower the level of respect and love" for children, the pope said Feb. 8 during a plenary meeting with members of the Pontifical Council for the Family. Before turning to the importance of a united family in the life of a child, the pope acknowledged that some priests have violated children, "a behavior which the church does not and will not hesitate to deplore and condemn." The U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child says the family is the natural environment for a child's growth and well being, the pope said, and the greatest help the church can offer children is to work to ensure that they are welcomed lovingly into a family based on the marriage of a man and a woman united for life. Children "want to be loved by a mother and a father who love each other, and they need to live and grow with both parents because the maternal and paternal figures are complementary in the education of children and in the construction of their personality and identity."
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