Pontiff writes letter to Rome parents, teachers - Pope Benedict, who recently voiced alarm over poverty and urban decay in Rome, has now written to the city about the ''urgency'' of instilling solid Christian values in young people.
In a long letter to Rome's parents, teachers and priests, the pontiff said educating the young was ''ever more difficult'' in a society whose ''foundations are shaken and essential certainties are lacking''.
It was the second time in two weeks that the 80-year-old pope, who is also bishop of Rome, has voiced deep concern over the spiritual and practical sides of life in the Italian capital.
During an audience with Rome Mayor Walter Veltroni and other local administrators on January 10, the pope said more and more people in Rome and the surrounding area were struggling to make ends meet.
He also denounced the squalid conditions in which many immigrants were living in the capital. He went on to lament an ''education emergency'' in which young people were growing up in a context of loose morals and even ''nihilism''.
The comments caused such political embarrassment to the city's mayor that the Vatican was forced to issue a statement saying the pope had not been criticising the work of Rome's administrators.
Benedict, who has lived in the Italian capital for 25 years, has little time for the normal duties of a big city bishop but keeps tabs on the situation in Rome through a cardinal who acts as his 'vicar'.
In his letter to the city on Wednesday, he spoke again about a ''crisis in education'', calling on parents and teachers not to abandon their mission to pass on ''solid values'' and ''rules of life'' to the young.
He said it was crucial for educators to counter a common mentality which ''leads to doubts as to the value of the human person and the very meaning of truth and goodness''.
The role of the Catholic Church in education and in society in general remains a delicate subject in Italy, where many schools are Church-run.
The strong feelings that the issue arouses were demonstrated last week by the controversy over Benedict's cancelled visit to Rome's biggest and oldest university, where he was due to attend the opening of the academic year.
The pope cancelled his visit, setting off a storm of recriminations from Catholics and others, after protests by staff and students who wanted to keep the opening ceremony strictly secular.
Earlier this week, Rome-based thinktank Eurispes published a survey which appeared to show that the Catholic Church's position as a key reference point in Italian society slipped in 2007. The survey asked Italians which institutions they had faith in. As well as showing declining confidence in politicians, unions and the judiciary, the report also said the Church's approval rating had fallen from 60% to 49%.
Italian bishops contested this finding on Wednesday in an article in their Avvenire daily. They cited other research showing confidence in the church at 60%, 66% or even 72%.
