In a recent address to regional political leaders Pope Benedict XVI said that the current global financial crisis is connected to a “structural, cultural [crisis] of values.” He emphasized the importance of values formation among the youth, reiterating that there is an “educational emergency” which needs to be addressed. In the youth “the human and Christian values that give meaning to daily life and that form a vision of life open to hope are weakened,” the Holy Father said. “Instead, ephemeral desires and fleeting hopes rise up, which in the end cause boredom and failure.” He also said that the Church, “with an intuition that I would like to call prophetic, has concentrated her efforts for some years now on the theme of education.” Source: Zenit