Skip to content

We ask you, humbly: don't scroll away.

Hi readers, it seems you use Catholic Online a lot; that's great! It's a little awkward to ask, but we need your help. If you have already donated, we sincerely thank you. We're not salespeople, but we depend on donations averaging $14.76 and fewer than 1% of readers give. If you donate just $5.00, the price of your coffee, Catholic Online School could keep thriving. Thank you.

Help Now >

On Vanishing Youth

Free World Class Education
FREE Catholic Classes

Interview With Pontifical Academy President Mary Ann Glendon

ROME, MAY 01, 2006 (Zenit) - The Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences is currently holding its plenary session on the theme "Vanishing Youth? Solidarity with Children and Young People in an Age of Turbulence."

The president of the academy, Mary Ann Glendon, spoke with us on the scope of the conference.

Q: Could you give an overview of the first day of the conference?

Glendon: This morning was what you would call the "keynote" introductory speeches. The first was by Cardinal López Trujillo, who laid out the experience of the Pontifical Council for the Family in addressing the questions at hand.

He was followed by Cherie Booth -- a great human-rights lawyer, a mother of four children -- who gave an exposition of the challenges that not only children face, but adults too -- and the way adults relate to them, and how they are models for children.

I think everyone agreed that it was a very inspiring and hopeful speech, and that both of these speeches together set the tone and framework for the next five days where we're going to be hearing regional reports from every continent in the world. These are very detailed reports on the situation of children.

Q: What is the main hope and aim of this conference?

Glendon: The aim of the academy is to advance the social sciences, and to give the Church elements she can use to adapt her social doctrine to the constantly changing turn of events.

Right now we're living through a period of demographic upheaval, of globalization that has unsettled so many economic expectations, a widening gap between the rich and the poor, and a situation in which those living in poverty are mostly children and mothers.

Q: Such groups can often be overlooked. What would you say is so important about having our world leaders in tune with Catholic social teaching when it comes to parenting or the rights of the child?

Glendon: There are voices that are missing from the mainstream debate on these questions.

Our title for this conference is "Vanishing Childhood" which, among other things, is an allusion to the fact that as birthrates decline -- and they are doing that even in the developing countries -- children become less visible, the voices of the people who speak for them are weaker.

So, the Catholic Church is able to do what Catholic social teaching helps us to do, which is to try to give policy-makers the wherewithal to bring the voice of the voiceless back into the debate, as well as the great themes of solidarity and subsidiarity, and keeping the human person at the center of concern.

Q. And what can we expect at the end?

Glendon: There will be wonderful things that will happen as the discussion unfolds -- we're all here to learn.

Contact

Catholic Online
https://www.catholic.org CA, US
Catholic Online - Publisher, 661 869-1000

Email

info@yourcatholicvoice.org

Keywords

Youth, Glendon, Children, Solidarity, Family

More Catholic PRWire

Showing 1 - 50 of 4,716

A Recession Antidote
Randy Hain

Monaco & The Vatican: Monaco's Grace Kelly Exhibit to Rome--A Review of Monegasque-Holy See Diplomatic History
Dna. Maria St. Catherine Sharpe, t.o.s.m., T.O.SS.T.

The Why of Jesus' Death: A Pauline Perspective
Jerom Paul

A Royal Betrayal: Catholic Monaco Liberalizes Abortion
Dna. Maria St.Catherine De Grace Sharpe, t.o.s.m., T.O.SS.T.

Embrace every moment as sacred time
Mary Regina Morrell

My Dad
JoMarie Grinkiewicz

Letting go is simple wisdom with divine potential
Mary Regina Morrell

Father Lombardi's Address on Catholic Media
Catholic Online

Pope's Words to Pontifical Latin American College
Catholic Online

Prelate: Genetics Needs a Conscience
Catholic Online

State Aid for Catholic Schools: Help or Hindrance?
Catholic Online

Scorsese Planning Movie on Japanese Martyrs
Catholic Online

2 Nuns Kidnapped in Kenya Set Free
Catholic Online

Holy See-Israel Negotiation Moves Forward
Catholic Online

Franchising to Evangelize
Catholic Online

Catholics Decry Anti-Christianity in Israel
Catholic Online

Pope and Gordon Brown Meet About Development Aid
Catholic Online

Pontiff Backs Latin America's Continental Mission
Catholic Online

Cardinal Warns Against Anti-Catholic Education
Catholic Online

Full Circle
Robert Gieb

Light Your Free Payer Candle for a departed loved one

What is Palm Sunday?

Live on March 20, 2024 @ 10am PDT

Three words to a deeper faith
Paul Sposite

Relections for Lent 2009
chris anthony

Wisdom lies beyond the surface of life
Mary Regina Morrell

World Food Program Director on Lent
Catholic Online

Moral Clarity
DAN SHEA

Pope's Lenten Message for 2009
Catholic Online

A Prayer for Monaco: Remembering the Faith Legacy of Prince Rainier III & Princess Grace and Contemplating the Moral Challenges of Prince Albert II
Dna. Maria St. Catherine Sharpe

Keeping a Lid on Permissiveness
Sally Connolly

Glimpse of Me
Sarah Reinhard

The 3 stages of life
Michele Szekely

Sex and the Married Woman
Cheryl Dickow

A Catholic Woman Returns to the Church
Cheryl Dickow

Modernity & Morality
Dan Shea

Just a Minute
Sarah Reinhard

Catholic identity ... triumphant reemergence!
Hugh McNichol

Edging God Out
Paul Sposite

Burying a St. Joseph Statue
Cheryl Dickow

George Bush Speaks on Papal Visit
Catholic Online

Sometimes moving forward means moving the canoe
Mary Regina Morrell

Action Changes Things: Teaching our Kids about Community Service
Lisa Hendey

Easter... A Way of Life
Paul Spoisite

Papal initiative...peace and harmony!
Hugh McNichol

Proclaim the mysteries of the Resurrection!
Hugh McNichol

Jerusalem Patriarch's Easter Message
Catholic Online

Good Friday Sermon of Father Cantalamessa
Catholic Online

Papal Address at the End of the Way of the Cross
Catholic Online

Cardinal Zen's Meditations for Via Crucis
Catholic Online

Interview With Vatican Aide on Jewish-Catholic Relations
Catholic Online

Pope Benedict XVI On the Easter Triduum
Catholic Online

Holy Saturday...anticipation!
Hugh McNichol

Join the Movement
When you sign up below, you don't just join an email list - you're joining an entire movement for Free world class Catholic education.

Lent logo
Saint of the Day logo

Catholic Online Logo

Copyright 2024 Catholic Online. All materials contained on this site, whether written, audible or visual are the exclusive property of Catholic Online and are protected under U.S. and International copyright laws, © Copyright 2024 Catholic Online. Any unauthorized use, without prior written consent of Catholic Online is strictly forbidden and prohibited.

Catholic Online is a Project of Your Catholic Voice Foundation, a Not-for-Profit Corporation. Your Catholic Voice Foundation has been granted a recognition of tax exemption under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Federal Tax Identification Number: 81-0596847. Your gift is tax-deductible as allowed by law.