Posted on 04/19/2008 8:28:55 AM PDT by OESY
...If journalists expected Benedict to take swipes at President Bush's foreign policy there, they could only be disappointed....
There's a reason that yesterday Bush declared with gusto at the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast in Washington: "His Holiness believes that freedom is the Almighty's gift to every man, woman and child on Earth."
...When they stood together on the White House lawn in a majestic welcoming ceremony on Wednesday, it symbolized the growing rapprochement of American evangelical Protestantism and the Catholic Church....
It was West Texas meets Rome; plain-spoken man of faith meets intellectual of great depth; representative of America's awesome secular power meets representative of the spiritual power of Christianity. And more united than divided them....
Benedict appreciates how the separation of church and state as practiced in America has given religion the space to flourish and the respect necessary for it to inform public discourse.
In turn, evangelicals have warmed to the church. As Benedict has said, "They have come to see Catholicism as an upholder of the same ethical values that they themselves profess."
...Bush told Benedict, "In a world where some no longer believe that we can distinguish between simple right and wrong, we need your message to reject this 'dictatorship of relativism.'"...
The foundation of our freedoms isn't a thoroughgoing skepticism, but a profound, "self-evident" moral truth: that we have inalienable rights. "America's quest for freedom has been guided by the conviction that the principles governing political and social life are intimately linked to a moral order based on the dominion of God the Creator," Benedict said.
The Holy Father quoted the Father of Our Country for the proposition that morality and religion are the "indispensable supports" of our political order....
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
“Freedom is not only a gift, but also a summons to personal responsibility.”
“God is not solitude, but perfect communion. For this reason the human person, the image of God, realizes himself or herself in love, which is a sincere gift of self.”
“We are moving toward a dictatorship of relativism which does not recognize anything as definitive and has as its highest value one's own ego and one's own desires... The church needs to withstand the tides of trends and the latest novelties.... We must become mature in this adult faith, we must guide the flock of Christ to this faith.”
“Having a clear faith, based on the creed of the church, is often labeled today as a fundamentalism. ... Whereas relativism, which is letting oneself be tossed and ‘swept along by every wind of teaching,’ looks like the only attitude acceptable to today's standards.”
“A Catholic would be guilty of formal cooperation in evil, and so unworthy to present himself for holy Communion, if he were to deliberately vote for a candidate precisely because of the candidate's permissive stand on abortion and/or euthanasia. When a Catholic does not share a candidate's stand in favor of abortion and/or euthanasia, but votes for that candidate for other reasons, it is considered remote material cooperation, which can be permitted in the presence of proportionate reasons.”
“Wherever applause breaks out in the liturgy because of some human achievement, it is a sure sign that the essence of liturgy has totally disappeared and been replaced by a kind of religious entertainment. Such attraction fades quickly - it cannot compete in the market of leisure pursuits, incorporating as it increasingly does various forms of religious titillation.”
“The ecclesial communities which have not preserved the valid Episcopate and the genuine and integral substance of the Eucharistic mystery, are not Churches in the proper sense; however, those who are baptized in these communities are, by Baptism, incorporated in Christ and thus are in a certain communion, albeit imperfect, with the Church.”
“Today, I, too, wish to reaffirm that I intend to continue on the path toward improved relations and friendship with the Jewish people, following the decisive lead given by John Paul II.”
“I too hope in this short reign to be a man of peace.”
.
Thank you so much for the post.
His Holiness is truly a gift to this planet from God.
"In turn, evangelicals have warmed to the church. As Benedict has said, "They have come to see Catholicism as an upholder of the same ethical values that they themselves profess." Thank you.
As I said on an earlier thread, those who accepted the MSN’s perverted interpretation of the Pope’s UN speech should read it for themselves. They went through it with a fine tooth comb, picked out one or two phrases out of context, and pretended that the Pope was criticizing the U.S.
Not true.
The real gist of the entire speech is that the UN SHOULD be fair and just, because that’s how its charter reads. He did not say that the UN IS fair and just. In fact, nowhere in the speech did he actually praise the UN, only the principles of human rights and God-given freedom on which it is supposedly based.
Let’s look more closely at that short passage which Rich Lowrey calls one of the few place where liberals might find comfort:
“In keeping with the Catholic Church’s fondness for the United Nations, Benedict said yesterday that the world organization’s founding principles ‘express the just aspirations of the human spirit, and constitute the ideals which should underpin international relations.’”
Please notice that word “should.” The principles on which the UN is based are just fine. It SHOULD honor and follow these principles. But does it? The Pope doesn’t say.
This is, by the way, an Aristotelian distinction. In the “Poetics,” Aristotle says that true poetry describes the world as it SHOULD BE, not as it actually IS. As a theologian the Pope is entirely familiar with this Aristotelain distinction.
Wow! I really like this Pope. This statement from above, really has a lot to say - so I thought it was worthy to be repeated:
“The foundation of our freedoms isn’t a thoroughgoing skepticism, but a profound, “self-evident” moral truth: that we have inalienable rights. America’s quest for freedom has been guided by the conviction that the principles governing political and social life are intimately linked to a moral order based on the dominion of God the Creator,” Benedict said.
And to add to that .. I have a favorite statement by Pope John Paul - upon his first visit to America: “I come as one who wishes you [America] to fulfill completely YOUR NOBLE DESTINY OF SERVICE TO THE WORLD.”
I wonder how long it took Laura that night to explain to George what the Pope said?
“And to add to that .. I have a favorite statement by Pope John Paul - upon his first visit to America: “I come as one who wishes you [America] to fulfill completely YOUR NOBLE DESTINY OF SERVICE TO THE WORLD.” “ ~ CyberAnt
bttt And to add to that:
“Shining City” speech at the first CPAC conference in 1974.
“We cannot escape our destiny, nor should we try to do so. The leadership of the free world was thrust upon us two centuries ago in that little hall of Philadelphia. In the days following World War II, when the economic strength and power of America was all that stood between the world and the return to the dark ages, Pope Pius XII said, ‘The American people have a great genius for splendid and unselfish actions. Into the hands of America God has placed the destinies of an afflicted mankind.’”
“We are indeed, and we are today, the last best hope of man on earth.”
Great quote - thanks!
More Benedict quotes:
“[Some are involved in] a disastrous confusion between the poor of the Scripture and the proletariat of Marx.” ~ Pope Benedict XVI
Theologies of Liberation http://www.newadvent.org/library/docs_df84lt.htm
Pope Benedict XVI: [paraphrased]”..proper stewardship of our environment is one of the _individual_ Christian’s responsibilities toward God - - - BUT only in this order:
“..an authentic...theology: [is] one that puts:
[1] God and the life of the spirit first,
[2] DIRECT charitable care of others second,
[3] and only then draws consequences for a just social order.”
http://ncrcafe.org/node/1091
More:
Encyclical of Pope John XXIII, Pacem In Terris: Peace on Earth - On Establishing Universal Peace In Truth, Justice, Charity, And Liberty, April 11, 1963 Excerpts:
“Man’s personal dignity requires besides that he enjoy freedom and be able to make up his own mind when he acts.
In his association with his fellows, therefore, there is every reason why his recognition of rights, observance of duties, and many-sided collaboration with other men, should be primarily a matter of his own personal decision.
Each man should act on his own initiative, conviction, and sense of responsibility, not under the constant pressure of external coercion or enticement.
There is nothing human about a society that is welded together by force.
Far from encouraging, as it should, the attainment of man’s progress and perfection, it is merely an obstacle to his freedom.”
“Hence, a regime which governs solely or mainly by means of threats and intimidation or promises of reward, provides men with no effective incentive to work for the common good.
And even if it did, it would certainly be offensive to the dignity of free and rational human beings.”
“Consequently, laws and decrees passed in contravention of the moral order, and hence of the divine will, can have no binding force in conscience, since ‘it is right to obey God rather than men.’”
*
America’s Founding Principles
“...dedicated to teaching how history, law, logic, and mathematics prove that the ideas that create America’s freedom and prosperity - America’s Founding Principles - are God’s moral rules found in Judeo-Christian Scripture. A big job, to be sure, but to help you quickly see where we are coming from, we summarize these ideas in the blue boxes below. The white boxes give you examples of where these ideas appear in our founding documents, the writings of the Founding Fathers, and the scholarly writings that influenced our founding. We link you to resources where you can learn more, and invite you to explore our site, especially our Freedom 101 and Project Mainspring links ...” http://www.citizensoldier.org/foundation.html
You’re welcome, but I forgot to add that it was a Ronald Reagan quote. Most of us know it is, but we could have some clueless DU readers here who don’t. :)
With his Holinesses visit, my heart has softened toward him. I really like him now. BIG, JPII supporter, I missed him so I never let Pope Benedict in.....until now. What a blessing, his visit.
Excellent additions.
There is an internet rumor that President Bush could end up like what Tony Blair has done, become Catholic.
You are not the only one. Because I am of 50% Polish heritage, and have always loved and admired JPII, when he had passed it was hard for me. When B16 got elected I was not too confortable because of all those rumors about him being like a “rotweiller” when it came to Church doctrine and that I was afraid he was going to be very much a hardliner as a Pope. But when I first heard after he was installed as Pope that he loves cats and also has a pet/animal companion friend living with neighbors of his back home in Germany, then I started to warm up to him. Now I have great love and support for this Pope.
So is your president.
And the lizards are bound to go down shrieking.
I love the way God just keeps helping us out like that.
Not me. I’m also half Polish but thought that JPII was a very spiritual man but was a disaster for the Catholic Church.
We need a leader, not a traveler. While he was wonderful in guiding humanity, he forgot his own flock.
B16 is exactly what we needed. A father who will pray for the rest of the world but worry about his own church and not make us into something we are not.
I pray they wait a WHOLE lot of years before considering Sainthood for JPII. By his fruits he shall be known. All his fruits, not just the feel good ones.
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