Why the Holy Father chose the name "Benedict"...?

QueenOfPeace.Ca ^ | April 12, 2005 | Zenit.org

[MadIvan]

Cardinal Ratzinger on the Banishment of God From Public Life

Receives St. Benedict Award for Promotion of Life and Family

SUBIACO, Italy, APRIL 12, 2005 (Zenit.org).- Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger says that believers are faced with the tendency to banish God from public life and confine him to the "subjective realm of past residual cultures."

On April 1, when receiving the St. Benedict Award for the Promotion of Life and the Family in Europe, conferred by the Subiaco Foundation for Life and the Family, the dean of the College of Cardinals delivered an address on the present crisis of culture and identity, especially in the Old World.

After stating that "moral force has not grown apace with the development of science but, on the contrary, has diminished," Cardinal Ratzinger explained that "the most serious danger at this time is precisely the imbalance between technical possibilities and moral energy."

He gave two examples: the threat of terrorism and the possibility to manipulate the origin of human life.

The then prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith—almost all heads of Vatican dicasteries lost their posts when John Paul II died— pointed out that "Europe has developed a culture that, in a way previously unknown to humanity, excludes God from the public consciousness, either by denying him altogether or by judging that his existence cannot be demonstrated, is uncertain and, therefore, somewhat irrelevant to public life."

An attempt is being made "to build the human community absolutely without God," the cardinal stressed.

"The rejection of reference to God is not an expression of tolerance which wishes to protect non-theist religions and the dignity of atheists and agnostics, but rather an expression of the desire to see God banished definitively from humanity's public life, and driven into the subjective realm of residual cultures of the past," he warned.

For the cardinal, the starting point of this view is "relativism," which has become "a dogmatism that believes it is in possession of the definitive knowledge of reason, and with the right to regard all the rest as a stage of humanity, which has basically been surpassed, and which can be suitably relativized."

At this rate, Cardinal Ratzinger added, we will no longer "be able to affirm that homosexuality, as the Catholic Church teaches, is an objective disorder of the structure of human existence."

"The fact that the Church is convinced of not having the right to confer priestly ordination on women, is now considered by some as irreconcilable with the European Constitution," he added.

In the final part of his address, Cardinal Ratzinger explained that "we need roots to survive and we must not lose them from sight if we do not want human dignity to disappear."

"Only creative reason, which has been manifested in the crucified God as love, can really show us the way," he said. "We need men who will keep their sight on God, learning there" what "true humanity" is, as "only through men touched by God, can God again be close to men." ZE05041102

[Southack]

"The US has waged many unjustified wars since 1898, but World War I was the worst. I hope Wilson is burning in Hell."

President Wilson was awful, but he was the least bad of all of the major world leaders in that war.

Nor could it be argued that he "waged" The Great War, as it was started 3 years prior to U.S. troops landing in Europe to end it.

Wilson's peace treaty proposals were far more humanitarian than what the French and British forced upon the Germans, too. That he was out-diplomacied on that point was a failure of his leadership, not of his morality or inherent weal (to the detriment of that following generation of Europeans, too).

[Southack]

"It IS Peter. In Psalms, the only ONE referred to as "rock" was God. By changing Simon's name to Peter, Jesus was saying, "from now on Simon, you are me", meaning that Simon Peter had authority and that the Church was established by Christ but rested and was built on the authority of Peter."

Peter, in the original tongue, translates to "the rock."

That's why "peter" is the stuff of far too many bawdy jokes about hardness.

[stm]

Peter was the "Rock"

Matthew 16:18:
"And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it"

[Ann Archy]

I KNOW! I'm Catholic, and I only go to Churches where they have kneelers!

[stm]

Our Church has padded pews, I guess it's because there are lots of old people in the parish! :-)

[Knitting A Conundrum]

Oh, my knees. We kneel on a carpeted floor...a legacy of worshipping in a 30 year old temporary church...but finally we should be breaking ground on a new one this summer!

[Robert Drobot]

Someone previously jokingly nicknamed the then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, the Panzer Cardinal. I somehow feel the Modernists will be reflecting upon this Vicar of Christ as the Panzer Pope!!!

[Ann Archy]

Wow...padded pews...must be a new Church!

[goldstategop]

If the Church loses sight of what made her great, she deserves to pass into oblivion. The new Holy Father is aware of the seductive evil of the twin earthly powers symbolized by secularism and liberalism. It is time for all good men to stand up against evil. This is the calling of Pope Benedict XVI and the calling of our time.

(Denny Crane: "Sometimes you can only look for answers from God and failing that... and Fox News".)

[Wessex]

"Wouldn't it be a riot if Benedict XVI offered a Traditional Mass for his first Mass this Sunday?"


Why would he? He is still part of the Novus Ordo apparatus which may now receive a lick of paint and a bit of repackaging.

[Canticle_of_Deborah]

Although the new pope is not officially a Benedictine, he is obviously of their mold of thinking. I don't know how we overlooked this in the weeks past.

Chalk one up for St. Malachy. He was right again.

[Canticle_of_Deborah]

That may be true. I am taking a position of cautious optimism. I hope Benedict XVI will be a revert to Tradition. He is trending that direction.

[Utah Binger]

As a Thiest my belief is that the new Pope will certainly know that there is more to life than simple Tradition. Possibly he will trade in the robes for a simple suit.

[Straight Vermonter]

When you are ready to join the family.

Becoming Catholic

[Wessex]

"After we ended their second round of senseless war, we chose to keep our troops in Europe rather than bring them home; where they remain today (and as long as they've been there, the major European powers have behaved themselves)."


Yes, we in Europe are so glad of America's frequent disinterested intervention and for raising us all on to a much higher moral plane than that occupied by our antiquated political and religious systems.

[Conservative til I die]

Everyone should know what the rock is. It isn't Peter.

And only a Protestant could take the most clear-cut verses in Scripture and mangle them.

[Mr. Silverback]

ProLife Ping!

If anyone wants on or off my ProLife Ping List, please notify me here or by freepmail.

[Domestic Church]

"At least we now have a Pope who has celebrated the Tridentine Mass recently!"


And a he was called a "Panzer Cardinal". The Swiss Guard won't have a moment's rest!