Pope's aide blasts media coverage of church
Sat Mar 31, 10:39 AM ET

A top aide to Pope Benedict has blasted the media for highlighting the Vatican's views on sex while maintaining a "deafening silence" about charity work done by thousands of Catholic organizations around the world.

Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, who as secretary of state is effectively the Vatican's prime minister, also accused the media of deliberately misinterpreting the Pope's speeches, especially his Regensburg address last September which angered Muslims.

"We face an extremely grave problem. The church's messages are subject to a type of manipulation and falsification by some western media," Bertone said in an interview with Le Figaro Magazine published in Paris on Saturday.

"I see a fixation by some journalists on moral topics, such as abortion and homosexual unions, which are certainly important issues but absolutely do not constitute the thinking and work of the church," he said.

"Why this deafening silence?" he asked. "We have to say the press does not write much about the social and charity work of thousands of Catholic organizations around the world."
Bertone said journalists had twisted the Pope's Regensburg address -- in which he quoted a Byzantine emperor linking Muslims and violence -- into a speech on Islam rather than the discussion on the role God played in society.

"Pope Benedict's thoughts were neatly blacked out," he said. "Commentators who take phrases out of context in a misleading extrapolation are exercising their trade dishonestly."
He said the German-born Pontiff had made clear in Regensburg that he wanted "a healthy confrontation" with Islam and that several Muslim thinkers had welcomed his invitation to dialogue.

Bertone has been one of the church's harshest critics of Dan Brown's popular novel The Da Vinci Code. In the interview he also took aim at "The Lost Tomb of Jesus," a new film claiming that archaeologists have found the tomb of Jesus and his family and indications that Mary Magdelene, one of his followers in the gospels, was his wife.

According to the Bible, Jesus never married and rose bodily from the dead after his crucifixion.
"This is a strategy against the church and the divine figure of Christ," he said. "These campaigns try to sap the faith of Christian people and the trust the faithful have in the church."

The apocryphal gospels used as sources for popular books and films were not new discoveries but well-known books written a century or two after the original gospels, he said.

"Authors who try to sow confusion between these two different sources profit from religious ignorance," he said.

From Reuters News Services

Pope criticises EU for excluding God
By Philip PullellaSat Mar 24, 3:18 PM ET

Pope Benedict strongly criticized the European Union on Saturday for excluding a mention of God and Europe's Christian roots in declarations marking the 50th anniversary of its founding.
In a toughly-worded speech to European bishops, Benedict said Europe was committing a form of "apostasy of itself" and was thus doubting its own identity.

The Pope, who like his predecessor John Paul often calls for a mention of God and Christianity in the European Constitution, said leaders could not exclude values that helped forge the "very soul" of the continent.

"If on the 50th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome the governments of the union want to get closer to their citizens, how can they exclude an element as essential to the identity of Europe as Christianity, in which the vast majority of its people continue to identify," he said.
"Does not this unique form of apostasy of itself, even before God, lead it (Europe) to doubt its very identity?"

Apostasy is a total desertion of or departure from one's religion.

One of the Pope's compatriots, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, aims to relaunch the EU constitution and last month made a plea for the bloc to include references to Christian roots.
Plans to include such a reference in the original EU treaty, rejected by French and Dutch voters in 2005, were blocked by French President Jacques Chirac.

Merkel, as holder of the EU's rotating presidency, is now in the process of reviving the constitution. Comments from Merkel, the daughter of a pastor, have encouraged religious leaders around Europe to redouble efforts to modify the constitution.

Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi said he had pushed for inclusion of Catholic roots in the document but that the main task ahead for Catholics was to carry on a dialogue with religions like Islam and Judaism.

But in another sign of disagreement between Europe's leaders, the conservative European People's Party included religious roots in its anniversary declaration, in contrast to the general EU declaration to be adopted on Sunday.

"Europe's Judeo-Christian roots and common cultural heritage, as well as the classic and humanist history of Europe and the achievements of the period of enlightenment, are the foundation of our political family," said the statement, adopted at a meeting attended by Merkel and other EU leaders.

Pope Benedict warned the bloc was headed up a slippery slope of indifference and said it could not deny its "historical, cultural and moral identity" that Christianity helped forge.

"A community that builds itself without respecting the true dignity of the human being, forgetting that each person is created in the image of God, ends up doing good for no one," he said.


Pope: Europe losing faith in its future
By FRANCES D'EMILIO, Associated Press WriterSat Mar 24, 2:58 PM ET

Europe appears to be losing faith in its own future, Pope Benedict XVI said Saturday, warning against "dangerous individualism" on a continent where many people are having fewer children.
"One must unfortunately note that Europe seems to be going down a road which could lead it to take its leave from history," the pontiff told bishops in Rome for ceremonies to mark the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Rome, a major step toward the creation of today's European Union.

Benedict said he was concerned about Europe's "demographic profile" — though he did not describe the trends that have alarmed the continent for decades.

In countries like Italy, where many married couples have one or no children, the population is expected to shrink dramatically in a generation or two unless fertility rates quickly increase.
Benedict expressed concern that Europe's population trends, "besides putting economic growth at risk, can also cause enormous difficulties for social cohesion, and, above all, favor dangerous individualism, careless about the consequences for the future."

"You could almost think that the European continent is in fact losing faith in its own future," Benedict said.

A recent Eurostat survey showed Poland's fertility rate to be the lowest in the EU, at 1.23 children per woman.

Sociologists and economists blame the economy, particularly the unemployment rate — at 14.9 percent the highest in the EU. Worried about losing their jobs, many women in Poland put off having children, often until it is too late.

Earlier this month, Polish Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski proposed a new program of tax exemptions and support for working mothers in the hope of encouraging births and ensuring that Poles "continue as a nation."

Italy's fertility rate steadily plunged to a low of 1.25 children per women of childbearing age in 2001, with the last few years seeing a small turnaround, mainly due to births to immigrants.
Italian experts cite Italian's desire for an easier lifestyle, but they also blame shortages of day care centers, expensive housing and a sluggish job market which sees many Italians living at home until well into their 30s as reasons for the country's relatively few children.

Antonio Golini, an Italian demographer, told The Associated Press recently that unless the retirement age is raised, Italy will have more people drawing pensions than it will have workers in 2050.

Spain also has a low fertility rate, while France, with family friendly policies such as cheap day care and generous parental leave, has experienced a baby boom.

France had more babies in 2006 than in any year in the last quarter-century, capping a decade of rising fertility that has bucked Europe's graying trend. Its fertility rate in 2006 was 2.0 children per woman.

A rate of 2.1 children per woman is considered the minimum necessary to keep a population from shrinking.

Good Works and Faith Are Found Everywhere.

Don King Does a Very Good Thing

Don King in Front Row for Pope
By DANIELA PETROFFThe Associated Press
Wednesday, March 21, 2007; 11:28 AM

VATICAN CITY -- Don King got a front row seat at Pope Benedict XVI's general audience Wednesday. The usually flamboyant boxing promoter, wearing a blue suit with his preferred high hair style primly flattened for the papal event, gave the pope a green-and-gold boxing belt and a handwritten letter asking for prayers for people ranging from President Bush to the world's sick and aged.

"I was thrilled to be there. It was a deep spiritual experience," King told The Associated Press after the two-hour open-air audience in St. Peter's Square.

In Rome to discuss possible boxing matches in Italy, King had expressed his wish to meet with the pope.

"Faith is the thing that carries us through," the 75-year-old King said as he walked through St. Peter's Square, waving Italian and Vatican flags and signing autographs.

Don King Productions spokesman Alan Hopper said the Vatican visit was arranged through a boxer King represents _ Italian super welterweight champion Luca Messi, whose brother Alessandro is a Catholic priest.

King was seated in the front row of a special section on the steps of St. Peter's Basilica. He was able to hand the pope the gift and the letter as Benedict drove slowly by in an open jeep at the end of the audience.

King, who spent four years in prison for manslaughter, had hoped for a personal meeting with Benedict. Very few nonchurch people, however, receive private time with the pope during his Wednesday audiences.

Before arriving in Rome, King toured Messi's hometown, Bergamo. During the visit to the northern Italian city, King began a fundraising campaign to restore the city's church of St. Mary Major, which includes frescoed paintings on the walls of a pre-existing church buried underneath.

Gospel rehabilitating Judas is published in Rome

British novelist Jeffrey Archer and Vatican theologist Francis Maloney on Tuesday launched a book defending Judas' betrayal of Jesus at a papal institution in Rome.

"The Gospel According to Judas" claims the disciple acted over concern that Jesus' failure to chase the Romans out of Jerusalem would lead to the destruction of the Jewish people.

Its publication follows last year's discovery of an ancient Coptic manuscript known as the Gospel of Judas, which maintains that Jesus actually asked his disciple to betray him.

It was launched at the Vatican-funded Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome two days before its worldwide distribution on Thursday.

The institute's rector, Father Stephen Pisano, was quoted by the Ansa agency as saying he hoped the book would encourage more people to read the Bible.

The book has been written from the point of view of Judas' son, Benjamin Iscariot. As well as describing the betrayal, it rejects claims the disciple later killed himself.

Archer, a successful novelist who was a conservative party lawmaker before being jailed for four years for perjury in 2001, said in January that the book was "a gospel, not a short story and not a novel".

Australian scholar Maloney is an expert on Christian texts and a member of the Vatican's International Theological Commission, where he rubbed shoulders with Joseph Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI.

FASCINATING

DON KING IN RING WITH POPE

March 14, 2007 -- WE hope someone is videotaping when high-haired boxing promoter Don King has an audience with Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican on March 21.

King, who wore a floor-length white mink coat to President Ronald Reagan's first inauguration, is a larger-than-life character who started out in Cleveland, Ohio, as a numbers racketeer who was accused of killing two men. The first incident was deemed self-defense, but the second was manslaughter - which got King four years in prison.

"I am standing in the need of prayer," King told Page Six yesterday from Paris. "I'm going to ask the pontiff to pray for all of us. He has a direct line to the man who sits high, looks low and keeps his eye on the sparrow." That "man" would be Jesus, King informed us.

While King is a Baptist, not a Roman Catholic, the ecumenical entrepreneur doesn't believe there should be any quibbling between denominations. "The thing is, we're all going before the man on high on Judgment Day."

Quoting Isaiah, King said, "Let justice roll down like water, and righteousness flow like a mighty stream."

The papal meeting came about through Luca Messi, a super-middleweight King put in a big fight in Chicago two years ago. Unfortunately, Messi lost. "I'm going to try and help him again," King vowed. But Messi has a brother who is a priest and who agreed to set up an audience with the pope.

King is in Paris promoting Saturday's sold-out rematch of last year's dramatic slugfest at Madison Square Garden between O'Neil Bell and Jean-Marc Mormeck. Then, King will be honored at a festival in Bergamo, Italy, the Messi brothers' hometown, before his pilgrimage to Rome.

King, who often wears crazy clothes and waves Old Glory, owns three large, diamond-encrusted crucifixes - "for the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost." But asked what he'll wear to his meeting with Benedict XVI, King humbly replied, "I'll see what the protocol is."

The bombastic orator seems prepared to play second fiddle to His Holiness and pay every respect to the Vicar of Christ. "I am going to ask the pontiff for world peace. I will be prepared to kiss his ring."

Pope Benedict XVI Honors Gary Krupp of New York for Work With Pave the Way Foundation

As a gesture of gratitude in recognition of his dedicated and tireless efforts on behalf of Catholic-Jewish and Vatican-Israeli relations, His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI has bestowed the rank of Knight Commander with a Silver Star of the Pontifical Equestrian Order of St. Gregory the Great upon Mr. Gary Krupp of New York.

Vatican City State (PRWeb) February 25, 2007 -- As a gesture of gratitude in recognition of his dedicated and tireless efforts on behalf of Catholic-Jewish and Vatican-Israeli relations, His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI has bestowed the rank of Knight Commander with a Silver Star of the Pontifical Equestrian Order of St. Gregory the Great upon Mr. Gary Krupp of New York.

The conferral of the Silver Star marks the second time Krupp has been honored by the Supreme Pontiff, having been previously invested as a Knights Commander in the same order by the late Pope John Paul II. Gary and his wife Meredith founded Pave the Way Foundation, a nonprofit charity dedicated to the promotion of peace and understanding between religions through cultural, technological and education exchanges.

His Eminence Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, Vatican Secretary of State, presented Mr. Krupp with the honor in Rome, following the presentation of the Bodmer Papyrus to Pope Benedict XVI, as a gift given to the Vatican Library through the initiative of Pave the Way Foundation. Also present for the conferral were His Eminence Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, Archivist of the Holy Roman Church, and His Excellency Bishop Raffaele Farina, SBD Prefect of the Vatican Library.

Mr. Krupp holds the distinction of being the only Jewish man in history to be invested as a Knights Commander of St. Gregory with a Silver Star and to also be invested as an Officer Brother in the Order of St. John, an honor he received by consent of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth in 2005.

About Pave the Way Foundation: PTWF is dedicated to achieving peace by bridging "the intellectual gap," promoting tolerance and understanding, by enhancing relations between religions through cultural, technological and intellectual gestures. The Foundation has a simple yet monumental vision: To enable all the world's religions to mutually realize that extremism, politics and personal agendas must not be allowed to poison the true benevolent message common to all faiths. Bigotry and hatred must be abolished by the faithful embracing their similarities and savoring their differences.

Sorry folks but I just could not resist posting this. Too funny.

KFC turns to the pope for help promoting new fish product

Not only is KFC now selling fish, but the fast-food giant wants Pope Benedict XVI to give his seal of approval to the company's new pollack filet in time for Lent.

"People can enjoy the flavor of the new Fish Snacker any day of the week, but we believe it will be especially popular on Fridays," James O'Reilly, the company's top marketer says in a press release. "It's perfect for an on-the-go lunch or any time of the day when you need a quick snack but don't want to sacrifice taste."

It's not every day that a major corporation uses the spirtual leader of some 1 billion people to get attention for a new product.

"The company has turned to Pope Benedict XVI, beseeching him to bestow his Papal blessing for this innovative new menu item," the press release says. "Vatican officials confirmed they received KFC's request, and the company is hopeful to get the Pope's blessing this Lenten season."

All of the Gospels for the past few weeks have followed this theme of living a life of Christ-like love towards one another, of answering evil with good.

Pope says enemy-love and nonviolence are central to Christ's message -19/02/07

Loving enemies is central to the way of Jesus, and Christian non-violence is not a tactical choice, it is a "a personal way of being" based on God’s alternative strength – that was the message of Pope Benedict XVI in St Peter’s Rome on Sunday 18 February 2007.

Before reciting the Angelus prayer, the leader of the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics talked about the teaching of Jesus on love of enemies.

"What is the meaning of these words of his?" the Pope asked. "Why does Jesus ask us to love our enemies, that is, a love that surpasses human capacity?"

He continued: "In reality, the suggestion of Christ is realistic because it takes into account that there is too much violence, too much injustice in the world and therefore the situation cannot be overcome unless it is countered by more love and more goodness.

"This 'more' comes from God: it is [God’s] mercy, which became flesh in Jesus and alone can 'turn the balance' of the world away from evil towards good, starting from that small and decisive 'world' that is the heart of [humanity]."

Pope Benedict added: "this Gospel page is rightly considered to be the Magna Carta of Christian non-violence, which consists not of giving in to evil - according to a false interpretation of 'turning the other cheek' - but in responding to evil with good, thus breaking the chains of injustice."

Christian non-violence is not merely tactical behaviour but "the attitude of one who is so convinced of the love and strength of God that [she] is not afraid to face evil armed with just the weapons of love and truth."

The Pope concluded: "Loving one's enemy constitutes the nucleus of the "Christian revolution" which changes the world "without making any noise about it."

US Methodist theologian Walter Wink is among those who have pointed out that ‘turning the other cheek’ is not about giving in – but in the Jewish culture of Jesus’ day was a challenge to an oppressor, who would demean himself by striking with the left hand.

From Ekklasia

Jordanian King Invites Pope to Amman
Sunday, February 11, 2007

King Abdullah II of Jordan has invited Catholic Pope Benedict XVI for an official visit to the Hashemite kingdom, according to a statement by the royal court.

“The invitation was extended to His Holiness by Queen Rania who met with the pope at the Vatican on Friday,” said the statement by the royal court.

During her visit to Italy, the Jordanian queen conveyed Jordan’s encouragement for the Catholic spiritual leader to become more involved in “efforts for re-establishment of durable, just and comprehensive peace in the region.”

From IsrealiNationalNew.com

CROSS-POST FROM INTERIOR DIALOGUES


After reading Deus Caritas Est (Pope Benedict's first encyclical) I dove into the secular book Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi. At the same time, my thoughts were directed on what I hoped I would be led to do for the children of Afghanistan. Superficially, these three things would not seem to have anything to do with each other. But I find them linked together in a very logical way. In Deus Caritas Est Holy Father instructs us on the true meaning of love and the unity found in the joint perfection of eros, agape, and philia. This perfect union exalts the physical and spiritual body of man.

In read Nafisi's book, we see how society can be perverted and destroyed through acts of violent hatred aimed indiscriminately against anyone, any institution, any group that disagrees with the prevailing religious fanaticism. But just as oppression wins and destroys a social order, we also see the triumph of a human spirit and her struggle to live as freely as she can within a society that oppresses. That she has to leave her home eventually in order to survive is her personal sadness.However, that loss gave us her book and the information it contains touched me at a time in my life when an expanding definition of love led me to thoughts of charitable acts and how this might fit into my future. Benedict's encyclical (Pt II:37) says "A personal relationship with God and an abandonment to His will can prevent man from being demeaned and saves him from falling prey to the teachings of fanaticism and terrorism." This simple truth brought me to the third seemingly unrelated point - the cold children of Afghanistan.

Again, it is Benedict who points us in the right direction telling us the "we are able to do acts of charity because the Lord has enabled us to do so."(DCE Pt. II:35) We are not responsible for saving the world but because of love we ARE required to do what we can and leave the rest to God. So when I read of the cold children of Ghor, it just seemed like the most natural thing i the world to send out a call for help. The response has been so gratifying. Nine boxes of warm clothes went to the children. It was a simple act of Collection, Send/Receive, and Disburse. No red tape, just a simple act of charity supported by a few warmhearted women. Blessed Mother Theresa said "Do Small things with great love" and that is what we have done.

So you see, for me, there is a clear connection between Benedict, Nafisi, and the children. It's about love, faith, hope, and charity. The greatest of these is love and you cannot have love without loving God and keeping faith, hope and charity in your heart AND in your acts.

I'm reading this right now. Rich, dense, lucid, and powerful writing. I'll be discussing it later at my "Interior Dialogues" blogsite.

Pope Benedict XVI's discourse on human and divine love is turning out to be a publishing hit.
ANSA said the 72-page document, titled Deus Caritas Est (God Is Love) -- has been reprinted three times in German and three times in Spanish, and has sold almost 1.5 million copies in Italian.

The news service said it is one of the most commercially successful doctrinal tracts ever written by a pope.

The encyclical, the first major piece of writing by the new pope, said the true nature of love between men and women needs to be clarified. The pope said erotic love can lead to degradation unless it is united with a spiritual love, ANSA reported.

Secularists of Islamic Societies Gather for Unprecedented Summit- Monday, March 5, 2007
Monday January 29 2007 16:42:14 PM BDT

Contact: Austin DaceyPhone: (212) 265-2877, ext. 11; (917) 664-3855E-mail: info@secularislam.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Secularists of Islamic Societies Gather for Unprecedented Summit
Leading Dissidents to Launch Movement for Reason, Pluralism, and Freedom of Conscience
New York, N.Y.(January 26, 2007)—

From Pope Benedict XVI to the Harvard historian Bernard Lewis, people are asking, What went wrong? How did Middle Eastern cultures transform from the openness and intellectual ferment of the medieval period to the closed theocrat societies of today? Where are the secular voices of the Muslim world?

Until now, they have been largely stifled and silenced. Now, bold critics of orthodoxy are calling for sweeping reforms from inside Muslim societies. With the intent of catalyzing a global movement for reason, humanist values, and freedom of conscience, delegates from Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan and Bangladesh will assemble March 4-5 in St. Petersburg, Florida for an unprecedented Secular Islam Summit.

According the chair of the meeting, the rationalist critic of Islam and acclaimed author Ibn Warraq, “What we need now is an Age of Enlightenment in the Islamic world, of the Islamic mind-set or worldview. Without critical examination of Islam, it will remain unassailed in its dogmatic, fanatical, medieval fortress; ossified, totalitarian and intolerant. It will continue to stifle thought, human rights, individuality; originality and truth.”

Said one summit delegate, Irshad Manji, author of The Trouble with Islam Today, “This summit is proof positive that reform-minded Muslims are creating a movement. We no longer exist in isolation. Those who hate our message of free thought in Islam will keep trying to pick us off individually, but collectively we're not going anywhere except forward.”

The historic Summit, to be held at the Hilton St. Petersburg, will set in motion the generation of new practical strategies from the world’s leading thinkers and activists in an ongoing cross-cultural forum. At issue will be secularist interpretations of Islam, the importance of expanding Koranic criticism, the state of freedom of expression in Muslim societies, educational reform and the urgent need for a paradigm shift in Islamic philosophy.

Speakers include Mona Abousenna, Magdi Allam, Shaker al-Nabulsi, Nonie Darwish, Afshin Ellian, Fatemolla, Tawfik Hamid, Shahriar Kabir, Nibras Kazimi, Irshad Manji, Walid Phares, Amir Taheri, Mourad Wahba, Ibn Warraq, and others.

To promote emerging solutions, the delegates will craft a statement of values and principles expressing the call for a new Enlightenment in Islamic culture. The statement will be released in English, Arabic, Farsi and Bengali to the world media at a press conference at 2 p.m. Monday, March 5, 2007 at the Summit, after which participants will take questions.“

The Secular Islam Summit hopes to encourage a new global movement for reason, science, and secular values within Islamic societies,” said Summit organizer Banafsheh Zand-Bonazzi, an Iranian-American activist.

The Summit is sponsored by the Center for Inquiry-Transnational, a secularist think tank.
For more information, call Austin Dacey at (212) 265-2877, ext. 11; (917) 664-3855; or e-mail info@secularism.org.

Peace between faith and reason, in Lebanon and Gaza, says Pope

Once more Benedict XVI calls for a dialogue between faith and reason to avoid today’s cultural “schizophrenia” and conflict with non Western cultures. He makes a special appeal for an end to violence in Lebanon and the Gaza Strip. He releases two white doves, symbol of peace, with Azione Cattolica youth, telling them: “You are the true messengers of peace.” He mentions World Day of Leprosy.

Vatican City (AsiaNews) – The Pope made an appeal today against violence in Lebanon and Gaza, for leprosy patients on World Day of Leprosy, but above all to scientists and men and women of culture “not to be afraid” of the dialogue between faith and reason so that we can avoid the risk of “schizophrenia”, irrationality, and the conflict with cultures in the south of the world.

To talk again about the issue of “faith and reason”, which he so skilfully addressed in Regensburg, the Holy Father used as his starting point today’s saint, the philosopher and theologian Saint Thomas Aquinas, “a compelling model of harmony between reason and faith, dimensions of the human spirit, that are fully realised in their meeting and dialogue.”

“The relationship between faith and reason,” the Pope stressed, “represents a great challenge to the Western world’s prevailing culture and for this reason, the beloved John Paul II devoted an encyclical to the issue titled just that: Fides et ratio – Faith and Reason. I, too, recently took up the issue in my address at Regensburg University.”

The problem is that today man often reduces himself “to think only about material and experimental objects and shuts himself off from the main questions about life, himself and God” and therefore “becomes poorer”. Benedict XVI calls this situation, “schizophrenia”.

“In reality,” he said,” modern scientific development brings innumerable positive effects and this must be acknowledged. At the same time however, we must admit that the tendency to consider true only what can be demonstrated experimentally represents a limitation of human reason and causes a terrible schizophrenia in which rationalism, materialism, hyper-technology and unrestrained instinctiveness” live side by side.

From this comes the Pope’s appeal to “rediscover in new ways human rationality that is open to the light of the divine Logos and its perfect revelation Jesus Christ, Son of God made man. When the Christian faith is true it does not mortify freedom and human reason. If so, why then should faith and reason fear each other when meeting and engaging in dialogue can enable them to express what is best in each other? Faith supposes reason and perfects it, and reason, enlightened by faith finds the strength to rise to the knowledge of God and spiritual reality. Human reason loses nothing by opening up to the contents of faith; on the contrary, the latter need its free and conscious adherence.”

Referring to Saint Thomas Aquinas, who in the 13th century was able to achieve a synthesis of Christian, Islamic and Jewish cultures, Benedict XVI noted that by rediscovering reason open to faith it is possible to engage in dialogue with non European cultures which view with concern and fear the atheistic culture of the West.

“With far-sighted wisdom,” the Pontiff explained, “Saint Thomas Aquinas was able to fruitfully relate to the Arab and Jewish ideas of his time so much so that he can always be considered a relevant teacher of dialogue between cultures and religions. He was able to achieve that admirable Christian synthesis between reason and faith which represents a precious heritage upon which Western civilization can draw and which can be used effectively to engage in dialogue the other great cultural and religious traditions of the East and the South of the world.”

The Pope ended saying: “Let us pray that Christians, especially those that operate in the world of academe and culture, can express the reasonableness of their faith and bear witness to it in a dialogue inspired by love. Let us ask the Lord for this gift by the intercession of Saint Thomas Aquinas and especially of Mary, Seat of Wisdom.”

Following the Angelus prayer Benedict XVI made an appeal for peace in Lebanon and an end to violence on the Gaza Strip.

“In the last few days,” the Pope said, “violence has caused blood to be shed in Lebanon. It is unacceptable to go down that path to back one’s own political goals. I feel a profound sorrow for that dear people. I know the Lebanese may be tempted to give up hope feeling disoriented by what is happening. I agree with what His Beatitude Card Nasrallah Pierre Sfeir said about the fratricidal clashes. I join him and other religious leaders, calling for God’s help so that all the Lebanese without distinction may work together to make their homeland a truly common home, overcoming the selfish attitudes that prevent them from really taking care of their country (cf Apostolic Exhortation A New Hope for Lebanon, n. 94). To the Christians of Lebanon, I repeat the exhortation that they promote a real dialogue between the various communities and call upon Our Lady of Lebanon to protect one and all.”

“Furthermore, I hope that violence in the Gaza Strip ends soon. To its entire population I wish to express my spiritual closeness and assure them of my prayers so that the will to work together for the common good may prevail upon everyone, that they may choose peaceful ways to settle differences and reduce tensions”.

The Pope also made another appeal, one for the World Day of Leprosy which is observed today.
“I would like to greet assuring a special mention in the prayer to all those who suffer from this disease,” Benedict XVI said. “I wish them recovery or, in any case, proper treatment in conditions of dignity. I encourage health care workers and volunteers who help them to continue [in their work] as well as all those who in different ways have joined the struggle to overcome what is not only an illness but also a social evil. In the footsteps of Christ many men and women have done all in their power in this noble cause, people like Raoul Follereau and the Blessed Damien de Veuster, the apostle of lepers in Molokai”.

At the end of his appeals and multilingual greetings, the Pope spoke to the 5,000 youth from Rome’s Azione Cattolica (Catholic Action) who, along with Card Camillo Ruini, ended their “Peace Caravan” in St Peter’s Square. Traditionally, they dedicate the month of January to the theme of peace. With two youths each on his side the Pope released to white doves, symbol of peace.

“You are the true messengers of peace,” the Pontiff said. “With the wings of goodness and faith, you bring everywhere the joy that comes from being the children of the same Father who is in Heaven and of living together like brothers.”

He added then: “We want to be like the doves of peace for all, for Lebanon, the Gaza Strip, everywhere.”
Copyright © AsiaNews

Pope calls for honest Christian dialogue
By FRANCES D'EMILIO,
Associated Press Writer, Thu Jan 25


Pope Benedict XVI on Thursday called for honest dialogue among Christians as he expressed sadness over tensions between churches following centuries of divisions.

Benedict presided at a prayer service in St. Paul Outside the Walls Basilica in Rome to mark the end of a week of prayer dedicated in churches around the world to efforts aimed at uniting Christians.

"Honest and loyal dialogue constitutes the typical and indispensable instrument in the search for unity," Benedict said.

Christians were praying "so that all the disciples of Christ be one, and so ... they can give harmonious testimony to the men and women of our times," said Benedict, who is devoting much of his papacy to achieving Christian unity.

In his homily, Benedict said through such encounters as Thursday's service it has been possible to perceive the joy of brotherhood, together with sadness for the tensions that remain.
The Vatican is eager for Christian churches to work together on positions they can share, such as opposition to abortion, euthanasia and same-sex marriages.

Benedict reached a milestone on the path toward possible Christian unity two months ago when he met with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, the spiritual leader of the world's Orthodox Christians, in Istanbul.

Tensions with the Orthodox Church in Russia kept the late John Paul II from making his hoped-for pilgrimage there. Vatican officials said this week they are hoping Benedict can go to Moscow but that there are no concrete plans despite improving relations with Russian Orthodox.

This small article was especially meaningful to me because my son went on a mission to the city of Vladivostok for a two week period three years ago. During that time they were not allowed to mention the word God and could not say they were missionaries. In the end, except for any direct questions, they found that they could only teach by example. It was an entirely unique experience living, even for a short period of time, in a society that is largely absent of God.

Pope won't meet Russian Orthodox leader, but ties warming
Tue Jan 23, 2:16 PM ET
A meeting between Pope Benedict XVI and Patriarch Alexis II, spiritual leader of the Russian Orthodox Church, is not on the horizon despite warming bilateral ties, Cardinal Walter Kasper said.

"We hope things will ripen for such a meeting, but for the moment there is nothing concrete in this area," Kasper, head of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, told a press briefing.

But he hailed "ever closer collaboration" between the Vatican and the patriarchate of Moscow.
He noted the work of a joint commission that is currently looking into accusations that the Roman Catholic Church is proselytizing in Russia.

"This has helped to create a new climate," Kasper said.

Rapprochement between the Vatican and the Orthodox churches of the world is "on the right track," he added, even though "extraordinary results cannot be expected right away."

Something of Interest a Bit Closer to Home

Is the pope signaling a new age of openness?
Some say new bishop is the latest appointment to favor competent men over those on a crusade

PEGGY FLETCHER STACK - The Salt Lake Tribune

By all accounts, Bishop John C. Wester, the newly appointed leader of Utah's 200,000 Catholics, is fair-minded, pragmatic, nurturing and - here's the key fact - not overly ideological.

Archbishop George H. Niederauer of San Francisco, Wester's boss, called him "one of the kindest-hearted persons I have ever met. He's solicitous of people's welfare. He has a good sense of humor and sees the inherent silliness in things."

"Oh, and I think he likes fishing," says Niederauer, well-known to Utahns as the head of the Diocese of Salt Lake City from 1995 to 2006. Observers say Wester, who assumes his new position March 14 after serving as an auxiliary bishop in San Francisco, will not likely threaten to excommunicate Catholic politicians who support abortion rights, or attack gay activists or academics who challenge doctrinal interpretations. They do not think he will be rigid or authoritarian, and certainly not impervious to the needs of abuse victims.

"Some bishops come with their own or someone else's agenda," says Monsignor Francis Mannion, pastor at St. Vincent de Paul Church in Millcreek. "I don't think [Wester] is coming with any heavy agenda."

That's apparently what Pope Benedict XVI wants. Since becoming pope in April 2005, Benedict has appointed about 30 U.S. bishops, and some see a pattern emerging that is distinctively different from John Paul II's, particularly in his later years.

Benedict is more involved in the process, poring over dossiers and case files. He also has Cardinal William Levada, former archbishop of San Francisco and Wester's mentor, pushing him in this direction.

Benedict's bishops tend to be "unflinchingly positive [men] who avoid conflict at all costs," says Rocco Palmo, a Philadelphia-based Vatican watcher who writes for The Tablet in London. Such leaders show by example that the essence of the church is to uplift, not condemn. They are "open not only within the church but in public," Palmo says. "They are working for the good of all, Catholics and non."

It is clear that Pope Benedict doesn't want "showboats as much as good, convincing men of integrity," adds David Gibson, author of The Rule of Benedict: Pope Benedict XVI and His Battle With the Modern Mind. "It is part of a campaign for competency, especially after the sexual abuse crisis . . . [to find men] who can preach the Gospel and mind the store."

Benedict has "actually disappointed people on the right who wanted a purge and eased fears on the left," Gibson says. "He has not appointed crusaders, just good, strong orthodox bishops who can engage the culture without being flamboyant, without stirring divisions."

Niederauer is one such man. He is gregarious, urbane, warm and witty. While he supports the church's positions, he is open-minded on such issues as gays in the seminary. Everyone, he argues, takes a vow of celibacy whatever his attractions.

Niederauer "has been a hit," says the Rev. Thomas Reese, senior fellow at Georgetown's Woodstock Theological Center. "That was a great appointment."

He is "comfortable in his own skin," adds Palmo.

Others see further evidence of Benedict's priorities in the choice of Archbishop Donald W. Wuerl, who took his place in June, for the Washington, D.C., diocese. The Washington Post described the 65-year-old Wuerl as a "poised, teacherly Pittsburgher . . . known as a behind-the-scenes bridge-builder, someone who preferred pressing quietly in private to making demands in public."

Wuerl is "thoughtful and well-educated," says Gibson, who lives in Brooklyn. The rising influence of Levada in the Vatican and Niederauer in San Francisco suggests a shift away from traditional Catholic centers in the Northeast to the West Coast, Mountain West and South, he says. "Here it's all closing churches, there it's how do you deal with growth?"

What does that say about where the pope will find his future bishops? After all, up to 25 U.S. bishops, including five cardinals, could retire because of age this year, according to Catholic News Service. There are 14 still-active U.S. bishops, including three cardinals, who have already turned 75, the age bishops are expected to submit their resignations. Eleven more, including two cardinals, will observe their 75th birthday in 2007.

For his part, Mannion doesn't yet see a trend under this pope. "There doesn't strike me as a Benedict-type bishop," he says. "The church is too large for any such thing to exist." Besides, he says, choosing men for their ideological leanings doesn't work in the long run. Men often change when they get into a particular diocese with its unique challenges. "Liberals become conservatives, while conservatives become liberals," Mannion says. "Those with one agenda take on another agenda born of the circumstances."

In a fast-moving world and church, the task of being bishop is tough enough. "Just keeping their heads above water," he says, "is the first thing they've got to do."

Pope names soup kitchen for John Paul II
Thu Jan 4th. Yahoo News

Pope Benedict XVI visited a soup kitchen Thursday to bless it and dedicate it to his predecessor, 14 years after Pope John Paul II went there to meet with the poor.

Benedict then addressed a few hundred people gathered in a nearby courtyard on a chilly day, saying love and charity bring great joy.

The pontiff also blessed a plaque dedicating the soup kitchen near the Colosseum to John Paul, who visited in 1992 and shared tea with several people, including a Somali man who had been attacked and set ablaze by skinhead youths.

The plaque carried a quote from the speech John Paul gave during his visit: "The suffering man belongs to us all." At the time, John Paul urged people to repudiate racism and xenophobia.

The pontiff brought a large quantity of blankets and warm coats to be distributed by the Catholic charity that runs the soup kitchen, Monsignor Guerino Di Tora, director of the Caritas organization in Rome, told SKY TG24 TV.

It is very hard to not have mixed feelings about the execution of Saddam Hussein. I do not believe in the death penalty and completely agree with Church teachings on the sanctity of life. But the human part of me, the part of me that knows the cruelties he was guilty of and is horrified by them can't help but feel quietly satisfied. However, it's not a happy feeling by any stretch of the imagination. I mourn the loss of all the lives that went before him; I mourn the loss of lives since his downfall. But most of all, I mourn the apparent loss of his immortal soul.


Top Vatican official condemns Saddam's death penalty

ROME (AP) — A top Vatican official condemned the death sentence against Saddam Hussein in a newspaper interview published Thursday, saying capital punishment goes against the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church.

Cardinal Renato Martino, Pope Benedict XVI's top prelate for justice issues and a former Vatican envoy to the U.N., said executing the ousted Iraqi leader would punish "a crime with another crime," and he expressed hope that the sentence would not be carried out.

In the interview with Rome daily La Repubblica, Martino reiterated the Vatican's staunch opposition to the death penalty, saying that life must be safeguarded from its beginning to its natural end.

"The death penalty is not a natural death. And no one can give death, not even the State," he said.

On Tuesday, Iraq's highest court rejected Saddam's appeal against a conviction and death sentence for the killing of 148 people in Dujail, in northern Iraq, in 1982. The court said the former president should be hanged within 30 days.

Martino's comments follow remarks he made after Saddam's initial sentencing, when the prelate denounced the planned execution as "eye for eye" logic.

In Thursday's interview, Martino also recalled how the late Pope John Paul II had opposed the war in Iraq.

"John Paul II did his duty," the cardinal told La Repubblica. "He said the war in Iraq would have been an adventure without return — and we are seeing it."

Martino called for an international conference to take on all the conflicts in the region, including in Iraq, Lebanon and the Holy Land.

On Thursday, Italian Premier Romano Prodi also reiterated previous condemnations of Saddam's sentence, both on moral and practical grounds. Italy is a firm opponent of capital punishment.

"I don't believe that Saddam's execution would remotely help bring peace to the country," he said. Aside from the moral condemnation, he added, "even politically I think it would carry ... more negative consequences than positive ones."

Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Holy Father's Christmas Day message stressing the importance of spirituality in our modern era and reminding us that science has left much unsolved.

FROM: Tracy Wilkinson, Los Angeles TimesTuesday, December 26, 2006

(12-26) 04:00 PST Rome -- In a traditional and often-grim Christmas Day message, Pope Benedict XVI said a world that has achieved unimaginable technological progress still needs God in its unending confrontation with hunger, hatred and war.

Despite the Internet, globalized economies and the ability to send spacecraft to the moon and Mars, "how can we not hear, from the very depths of this humanity ... the heartrending cry for help?" the pope asked.

Humankind's technological advance has not solved its most vexing problems, the leader of the Roman Catholic Church added.

"In this postmodern age, perhaps he (man) needs a savior all the more," the pontiff said, "since the society in which he lives has become more complex, and the threats to his personal and moral integrity have become more insidious."

Draped in golden vestments, Benedict marked his second Christmas as pope, delivering the annual message "Urbi et Orbi" -- Latin for "to the city and the world" -- from the central balcony of the majestic St. Peter's Basilica. Tens of thousands of pilgrims and tourists, in chilly sunshine, filled the square below to hear the noontime address, which was broadcast to 40 nations.

St. Peter's Square is an especially popular attraction at Christmas. It is decorated this year by a 109-foot fir tree from southern Italy's Sila National Park, said to be the tallest Christmas tree ever to grace the Vatican, and a larger-than-life Nativity scene.

The papal Christmas Day message is often used to give a sobering account of the state of world affairs, the conflicts and disease plaguing humanity and the way that the faith born with Jesus can provide solace.

"Who can defend him (man), if not the one who loves him to the point of sacrificing on the cross his only-begotten son as the savior of the world?" Benedict said.

He cited "with deep apprehension" the Middle East, "marked by so many grave crises and conflicts," and urged the path be opened "to a just and lasting peace, with respect for the inalienable rights of the peoples living there."

"I place in the hands of the divine child of Bethlehem the indications of a resumption of dialogue between the Israelis and Palestinians, which we have witnessed in recent days, and the hope of further encouraging developments," the pope added, alluding to Saturday's rare meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Benedict also called for the survival of a "democratic Lebanon, open to others and in dialogue with different cultures and religions," and appealed "to all those who hold in their hands the fate of Iraq" that they work to find an end to "brutal violence."

He also prayed for the end to fratricidal fighting in Darfur and elsewhere in Africa and for the continent's "open wounds" to heal.

"Is a savior still needed by a humanity which has reached the moon and Mars and is prepared to conquer the universe; for a humanity which knows no limits in its pursuit of nature's secrets and which has succeeded even in deciphering the marvelous codes of the human genome?" the pope said.

"This humanity of the 21st century appears as a sure and self-sufficient master of its own destiny, the avid proponent of uncontested triumphs," he continued. "So it would seem, yet this is not the case. People continue to die of hunger and thirst, disease and poverty, in this age of plenty and of unbridled consumerism."

Mankind Cannot Live Without God.
Dec. 25, 2006 - Yahoo, UK-Ireland

Pope Benedict has used his Christmas address to deliver the stern message that mankind cannot live without God.

He said that in an age of "unbridled consumerism" it was shameful many remained deaf to the "heart-rending cry" of those dying of hunger, thirst, disease, poverty, war and terrorism.

In his address broadcast live to an audience of millions in 40 countries he posed the question: "Does a 'Saviour' still have any value and meaning for the men and women of the third millennium?"

"Is a 'Saviour' still needed by a humanity which has reached the moon and Mars and is prepared to conquer the universe?"

He appealed for peace and justice in the Middle East, an end to the brutal violence in Iraq and to the fratricidal conflict in Darfur and other parts of Africa, and expressed his hope for "a democratic Lebanon".

In a separate, written message to the small Christian communities of the Middle East, the Pope said he hoped to visit the Holy Land as soon as the situation allowed.

He then wished the world a Happy Christmas in 62 languages - including Arabic, Hebrew, Mongolian and Latin - but his speech highlighted his preoccupation with humanity's fate.

At midnight, the 79-year-old Benedict had ushered in Christmas with midnight mass at the Vatican saying the image of the baby Jesus in a manger should remind everyone of the plight of poor, abused and neglected children the world over.

He said: "The child of Bethlehem directs our gaze towards all children, particularly those who suffer and are abused in the world, the born and the unborn."

"Towards children who are placed as soldiers in a violent world; towards children who have to beg; towards children who suffer deprivation and hunger; towards children who are unloved.!