GUARATINGUETA, Brazil (CNS) – In a meeting with recovering Brazilian drug addicts, Pope Benedict XVI said drug dealers will face God's judgment for the damage they have inflicted on individuals and society.
The pope made the remarks during a visit May 12 to Fazenda da Esperanca, or Farm of Hope, a church-run drug rehabilitation center in rural Brazil.
After listening to emotional testimonials from young men and women who have struggled to break free of drug and alcohol dependency, the pope urged those helped by the center to become "ambassadors of hope" to other addicts.
The pope said the statistics on drug abuse in Brazil were alarming and that the rest of Latin America is not far behind.
"I therefore urge the drug dealers to reflect on the grave harm they are inflicting on countless young people and on adults from every level of society," he said.
"God will call you to account for your deeds. Human dignity cannot be trampled upon in this way," he said.
The pope spoke from a thatch-roofed platform to about 3,000 people who gathered on the grounds of the 40-acre farm, where residents grow vegetables and raise livestock.
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