FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Rev. Christopher Pollard212-370-7885 Ext. 30cpollard@holyseemission.orgNew York, NY, July 28 – Insisting that “each and every young person should be able to... grow and learn... free from all violence and discord... in a family environment, in an atmosphere of happiness, love and understanding”, the Holy See took the floor of the General Assembly Hall on the final day of the United Nations High-level Meeting on Youth.Archbishop Francis Chullikatt, The Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations, reminded delegates that a family is “founded on the marriage between one man and one woman” and that the General Assembly declares that it is “the natural and fundamental group unit of society and must be guaranteed protection by society and the State” (Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Art. 16,3). He commended to their attention the deep desire of many youth for “personal relationships marked by truth and solidarity” and for a “family that will remain united”.“Young people are the future of humanity and they have a crucial role to play in its future as they enter into adulthood,” he said. “To do so responsibly, they need a proper education that enables them to distinguish between right and wrong, virtue and vice”.Noting that the outcome document of the High-level Meeting addresses eliminating violence against youth, promoting their health and well-being, protecting the rights of young immigrants, improving the quality of and assuring universal access to education for all youth, Archbishop Chullikatt stressed that “the rights of children and young people must be safeguarded and upheld in full conformity with the norms of the natural moral order”.He observed that the “mentality of relativism, which holds that everything is equally valid, that truth and absolute points of reference do not exist... does not lead to authentic freedom, but rather to instability, confusion and blind conformity to the fads of the moment with which certain cultures around the world tempt our youth”.World Youth Day 2011, to be convened by Pope Benedict XVI in Madrid next month, will afford young people “an opportunity... to celebrate and foster the importance of the spiritual dimension of their lives rooted in the truth of the human person”. Over a million youth are expected to participate in the thirteenth World Youth Day.For the full text of the Statement of the Permanent Observer and for more information about thePermanent Observer Mission of the Holy See to the United Nations,please visit the Mission website. To contact the Holy See Press Office, please click here.###