Posted on 05/02/2004 9:32:18 AM PDT by Gamecock
VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope John Paul Sunday welcomed the 10 new nations of the European Union but said the bloc could only face the challenges of the 21st century if it defended its Christian roots.
The pope, whose native country, Poland, is one of the new countries in the 25-strong EU, told a packed St Peter's Square Europe's identity would be "incomprehensible" without Christianity.
"Only a Europe that does not remove, but rediscovers its Christian roots will reach the stature needed for the great challenges of the third millennium: peace, dialogue between cultures and religions, the safeguarding of creation," he said.
He has repeatedly called for bloc to enshrine Christianity in its constitution, but this has been resisted by secular politicians.
EU leaders are also aware of the risk of offending Turkey, a secular state but with a largely Muslim population, which wants to join the EU.
Earlier, in a sign of his growing concern with the secularization of society, the pope warned 26 new priests it would be hard to convince people God was still important in a materialistic world.
"You are becoming priests in an age in which, even here in Rome, strong cultural tendencies seem to want to cause people to forget God, in particular the young and families," he said, speaking in the relatively clear voice.
The leader of the world's one billion Roman Catholics, who suffers from Parkinson's disease, appeared in better form than on many previous occasions. Last year his aides had cut secondary engagements such as ordinations from his schedule.
But Sunday, the pontiff led the ordination mass, seated in a throne on wheels. At the start of his noon address in St Peter's Square, he unusually raised his voice and banged his hand twice on the lectern to gain attention.
In another sign of the pope's improved health, he is expected to travel to Switzerland in June and to the shrine of the Virgin Mary at Lourdes in August.
One Calvinist should about do it.
Amen, elect Brother! The truth is singular, and requires but one voice to preach it.
You'll still be among us on Free Republic, won't you?
Unless the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it. Unless the Lord keep the city, he watcheth in vain that keepeth it. (Ps 126:1b)
On a side note, as a Catholic I'll say that you're thick skin and open mind is appreciated. It certainly hasn't been lost on me anyway.
This is so very very true. Even if one doesn't believe in His divinity, Jesus really is the way, the truth and the life. He really did change everything and he MUST be followed.
Really?
Good thing AAABest didn't say "thick mind and open skin". :o)
He said..."he MUST be followed."Well, only if you actually desire God's heaven.You said..."Really?"
Otherwise, you may do as you will.
The Pope errs in his desire to have the proposed European Constitution recognize the Christian faith. Many European nations have language of that nature, and several have state-supported churches. The state-supported churches are little more than caretakers for museums of the continent's Christian past.
If revival is to come to Europe, or for that manner, to Canada and our own Northeast and West Coast, it will come through faithful witnessing of the Gospel in public squares from Limerick to Kiev, opening new churches, training effective apologetics to confront and defeat the arguments of the secular humanists, and developing infrastructure such as Christian schools and universities to train the next generation of believers.
The Christian faith lost hold of its Middle East, the cradle of the religion, through invading Muslim hordes in the 6th and 7th Centuries, who won by force of arms. It may lose Europe, its stronghold for over a millennium, to the Muslim hordes in the 21st and 22nd Centuries, who may win not by force of arms so much as Europeans being unwilling and indisposed to preserve the Christian faith.
Whenever I hear this all I can think of poor Hal Lindsey and his predictions back in the '80s regarding the 10 member Common Market as the revived Roman Empire.
Anybody know what Hal's tune is today?
Another instance where RC doctrine differs from Biblical truth.
All authority rests with Christ. He has delegated certain responsibilities to His church, not the pope nor any sect or denomination.
Really?
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