[goldstategop]

Info on new Pope's commitment to ecumenical outreach to non-Catholic Christians. A biography of Pope Benedict XVI is also included in this account.

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

[Terabitten]

As a Protestant, I'm intrigued to see how his outreach takes shape. It'll be interesting.

[prairiebreeze]

'We are moving toward a dictatorship of relativism....that recognizes nothing definite and leaves only one's own ego and one's own desires as the final measure.'-- Pope Benedict XVI

Long live Pope Benedict XVI.

[tiredoflaundry]

This is going to be an interesting thread bump!

[pa mom]

bump

[reformjoy]

Evelyn Strauch, a 54-year-old housewife from Ratzinger's home state of Bavaria, buried her head in her hands and wept as she stood in St. Peter's.

"This can't be true," she said. "I had hoped so much that we would get a good pope who would do something for women. ... This is so terrible."

God Bless her soul,
for seeing the Truth of this awful day.

Even a German sees the -horror- of this appointment,
as well they should.

[sinkspur]

He said his "primary task" would be to work to reunify all Christians and that sentiment alone was not enough. "Concrete acts that enter souls and move consciences are needed," he said.

There is much room for hope.

[reformjoy]

Pope Benedict XVI on Wednesday pledged to work to unify all Christians

He can focus on uniting Catholics, but need not bother with Christians, thank you very much.

This Uniter does not speak for me.

Christ is the only one who sits at the right hand of God.

[Pyro7480]

Pope Benedict XVI: I too ... want to affirm with decisive willingness to follow in the commitment of carrying out the Second Vatican Council, in the wake of my predecessors and in faithful continuity with the 2,000-year-old tradition of the church," he said.

Watch out liturgical and moral "progressives!"

[reformjoy]

from the article...
In his memoirs, the policeman's son wrote of being enrolled in Hitler's Nazi youth movement against his will when he was 14 in 1941, when membership was compulsory. He says he was soon let out because of his studies for the priesthood.

The Nazi's let him "out" so he could pursue priesthood.

On to another path, with the Nazi's blessing?

It's amazing. Truly amazing.

[kalee]

bump for later reading

[Fester Chugabrew]

The Pope, in and of himself, cannot unify the Church any more than fruit can appear without a tree. The Church is not his creation to unify or modify at will. He would probably be the last to say it is by his efforts that the Church comes into being and is sustained and unified. The Pope, if anything, is an instrument of Christ's in bringing together all who confess His Name and are, by His grace, willing to take up the cross and follow Him.

That is probably how the Pope is thinking, to the extent he abides in Christ together with the Church. Those who write about him ought to choose their words more carefully.

In view of the all-sufficient merits of the living Jesus Christ is the atoning sacrifice for the sin of the world there is good reason for the Church to engage in gracious proclamation of the forgiveness of sin and everlasting life even for the most decadent of men. Ecumenism is a good thing if, and only if, this truth is at the forefront. All other wheeling and dealing is, by and large, for naught.

[lexington minuteman 1775]

With all the attacks of the enemy upon the Church of Jesus if the Pope can keep up a dialogue and keep Christians united on our true enemy which is Satan and not differences of Doctrine between various Christian groups I say may God bless his initiative!