VATICAN CITY, FEB. 21, 2010 (Zenit.org).- In crowded airport terminals, what must be protected above all is respect for the person, Benedict XVI says.
The Pope made this observation Saturday when he received leaders and personnel from two Italian aviation agencies, accompanied by Altero Matteoli, the nation’s transportation minister.
The Holy Father expressed his appreciation for the group’s daily work providing security — especially in the face of the “threat of international terrorism” — and maintaining quality of service.
He noted the importance of the “intersection of contemporary life and communication between persons and peoples.»
«The first capital to be protected and valued is the person, in his integrity,» the Pontiff said. «The person, in fact, must always represent the goal and not the means that must be unceasingly pursued.
“One must never lose sight of the fact that respect for the primacy of the person and attention to his needs, not only does not make service less effective and harm the economic system, but, on the contrary, represent important guarantees of true effectiveness and authentic quality.»
