It is the disease of cowards, who do not have the courage to speak upfront and so talk behind one's back... Watch out against the terrorism of gossip!

The great challenge facing us today is to learn once again how to talk to one another, not simply how to generate and consume information.

We human beings are not only the beneficiaries but also the stewards of other creatures. Thanks to our bodies, God has joined us so closely to the world around us that we can feel the desertification of the soil almost as a physical ailment, and the extinction of a species as a painful disfigurement. Let us not leave in our wake a swatch of destruction and death which will affect our own lives and those of future generations.

We learn many virtues in our Christian families. Above all, we learn to love, asking nothing in return.

During Lent, let us find concrete ways to overcome our indifference.

Working for a just distribution of the fruits of the earth and human labor is not mere philanthropy. It is a moral obligation.

Challenges exist to be overcome! Let us be realists, but without losing our joy, our boldness and our hope-filled commitment. Let us not allow ourselves to be robbed of missionary vigour!