Posted on 04/27/2005 4:51:53 PM PDT by pissant
EUROPE was reminded of its Christian roots yesterday by Pope Benedict XVI when he held his first general audience, confirming speculation that the defence of the Continent’s Christian culture in the face of “aggressive secularism” will be one of the central themes of his papacy. Explaining his choice of name, the Pope — speaking in Italian — said that it recalled Pope Benedict XV (1914-22), who was pontiff during the First World War. “He was a courageous prophet of peace who guided the Church through turbulent times of war,” he said.
The pontiff said that the name also brought to mind St Benedict of Norcia, the patron saint of Europe, “whose life evokes the Christian roots of Europe. I ask him to help us all hold firm to the centrality of Christ in our Christian life.”
Under John Paul II the Vatican fought in vain for a reference to Europe’s Christian values to be inserted in the preamble to the new European constitution. The campaign’s failure is said by Vatican sources to have been one of the late Pope’s enduring disappointments.
Defence of Christian values is regarded by some in the Vatican as a response not only to secularism and atheism but also to Muslim immigration, with Islam seen as a rival faith. Last year, as Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger and the Vatican’s doctrinal “enforcer”, Pope Benedict opposed Turkish membership of the EU, saying that this would “run counter to history”.
He said that although Turkey was a secular state, it “represents a continent that has always clashed with Europe”, a reference to its Muslim majority.
Vatican sources denied yesterday that the Pope’s comments on European Christianity were “anti-Muslim”, pointing out that he had called for a dialogue with Islam in meetings with Muslim clerics after his inauguration last Sunday.
The Vatican also denied that the “Moor’s head” in the heraldic symbol on the Pope’s coat of arms referred to the Crusades. The head is taken from the coat of arms of the Archbishop of Munich, the post the Pope held before he became the head of the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith in 1981 and is held to represent St Corbinianus, an 8th-century missionary in Bavaria. In a departure from the previous pontificate, only bishops and other clerics, rather than pilgrims, were presented to the Pope yesterday.
Didn't the Methodist Church used to be a fire & brimstone type church? What happened?
Which is why I am becoming Catholic.
Congrats on your choice. And welcome!
Welcome home
Many very fine neighbors here go to the mega-Methodist Church, the largest in town (on two "campuses"). Our daughter did her pre-school there, so we got a good sense of what goes on. It's just as you say. There was a whole lot of activity, but, really, nothing of significance that had to do with Christian faith. We were glad to be Catholic, and our daughter is now in Catholic school.
Hmmm, I haven't seen anything about his papal coat of arms other than this reference.
Can you please help me find the right link? Thanks :-)
Ooooooh! Welcome Miss Marple!
God Bless! We are honored to have you!
The media have yet to note the connection between the two Benedicts that our new Pope is modelling himself after. Benedict XV opposed not war in general, but one particular war, World War I, which saw Europe begin the long suicide it is continuing today. Both of the Benedicts the Pope is honoring were committed to the preservation of Europe and its Christian culture.
Gotta read the blogs
As soon as I'm independently wealthy. I don't have enough time as it is...
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