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Article: Pope sends ominous message to World Youth Day. (World Youth Day).
- Article from:
- Conscience
- Article date:
- September 22, 2002
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2002 Catholics for a Free Choice. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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In a special message for World Youth Day, Pope John Paul II has called on Catholic women to emulate St. Maria Goretti. Maria Goretti was an 11-year-old Italian girl, murdered while defending herself against a sexual assault by a neighbor in 1902. Pope Pius XII canonized her in 1950, making her the youngest Catholic saint. In his message to World Youth Day attendees, Pope John Paul II encouraged women to follow her example and "rediscover the value of chastity."
In a statement, Jane Koster of Challenge the Church, a progressive Catholic group in Canada, said, "This is a dangerous message to ...