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POPE-AUDIENCE Aug-31-2005 (240 words) With photos. xxxi
Pope, at audience, says children are gifts from God
By Carol Glatz
Catholic News Service
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Children are gifts from God, and they offer joy and support for parents and society, Pope Benedict XVI said in his weekly general audience.
Nations with declining birthrates are missing "the freshness, the energy, the future" brought by children, he added.
In his Aug. 31 audience in St. Peter's Square, the pope reflected on Psalm 127, which celebrates the Lord's gift of children "who are seen as a blessing and a grace" and as a source of support for parents in their old age.
The pope flew by helicopter from his papal summer residence in Castel Gandolfo, 20 miles away, to hold his weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square to accommodate the large number of pilgrims in attendance.
Some 11,000 people gathered in the square to hear the pope and receive his blessing.
"Whatever we do or undertake can only bear fruit if it has God's blessing," he said.
"A strong society is, of course, built out of the labor of its members, but it also needs the blessing and support of God who, unfortunately, is instead often excluded or ignored," said the pope.
A person's efforts also need divine grace in order to be fruitful, he said.
"The peaceful and faithful relinquishment of our freedom to God renders our activity to be solidly based and capable of long-lasting fruit," he said.
END
Copyright (c) 2005 Catholic News Service/USCCB. All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed.
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