Without a faith dimension, ideological and political notions of development will fail, even if they have some initial success, Cardinal Gerhard Muller said.

The committee chairmen also said that withdrawal of the bill "must not end our nation's efforts to improve health care."

The pope told the participants that his first reaction to hearing about "this praiseworthy initiative" was one of gratitude to God.

Representatives from a number of organizations called for a reduction in the more than 48,000 statutes that limit the rights of people with a criminal record.

"We do not know the reasons why he was abducted. He did not have problems with anyone," Father Angel Vargas Uribe said. "We are not scared."

Conditions have worsened for surviving Christians under the dictatorship of Kim Jong Un, said a priest working with North Korean refugees in China.