Benedict and World Youth Day: Becoming Adults in Christ

CatholicExchange.com ^ | 08-20-04 | Kishore Jayabalan

[Salvation]

by Kishore Jayabalan

Other Articles by Kishore Jayabalan

Benedict and World Youth Day: Becoming Adults in Christ

08/20/05

		Pope Benedict XVI is back in the international media spotlight this week, gracing the covers of Time and Newsweek, as he makes his first trip outside of Italy, to Cologne, Germany for the 20th World Youth Day. That a Catholic youth gathering is now a global event worthy of such attention is a testament to Pope John Paul II; now the trip is presented as a sort of “test” for Benedict.
In This Article... Absolute Relativists A Heritage with Obligations What Endures?

Absolute Relativists

World Youth Day (WYD) has been celebrated outside of Rome every two or three years since 1985, and these were legendary gatherings during John Paul II’s pontificate. Millions of young Catholics came together from all parts of the world to pray with the pope, and he seemed to be made for the occasion. Observers, including some in the Church’s bureaucracy, were continually astonished to see so many youth show such affection for John Paul.

Part of John Paul’s appeal to the young was certainly his courage, his wit, his previous experience as a stage actor. But more essential was his willingness to challenge young people not to settle for mediocrity in their spiritual lives. He urged them to love Christ, to follow Him, to become His saints, as he believed each one of them was called to be. God alone knows just how many souls were moved by this call over the years.

Not many people expect Pope Benedict to have the same power over the crowds gathered in Cologne, and no one expects Benedict to sing and joke with young people the way John Paul did. But these obvious signs of “enthusiasm” are not necessarily the right measure of success. After all, the problems facing the Church and society have only become more entrenched and will require serious theological and intellectual work. In short, it is time for the WYD crowd to grow up.

In a homily delivered April 18, a day prior to his papal election, Cardinal Ratzinger made headlines with the following words: “We are building a dictatorship of relativism that does not recognize anything as definitive and whose ultimate goal consists solely of one's own ego and desires.” The phrase “dictatorship of relativism” describes the condition of children in faith, swept away by the latest trends and doctrines, which “seems the only attitude to cope with modern times.”

The late University of Chicago Professor Allan Bloom noted the absolute relativism among university students in The Closing of the American Mind (1987), and how this relativism is believed to be a moral postulate of the free society, rather than a theoretical insight. “The danger they have been taught to fear from absolutism is not error but intolerance. Relativism is necessary for openness, and this is the virtue, the only virtue, which all primary education for more than fifty years has dedicated itself to inculcating,” wrote Bloom.

A Heritage with Obligations

As an antidote to relativism, Pope Benedict proposes an adult faith, one “deeply rooted in friendship with Christ,” making “truth in love.” Young people need to be taught and shown that there is such a thing as knowable objective truth. They need to learn how freedom and moral responsibility work together and lead to a virtuous life. A society that does not recognize truth cannot defend itself when challenged, as Europe currently is, and World Youth Day is the perfect setting for this message.

The choice of Cologne for the 20th WYD was not Benedict’s; it now appears providential. Besides serving as a homecoming for a German pope, Cologne boasts an awe-inspiring Gothic cathedral, a university that hosted Albert the Great, Thomas Aquinas and Duns Scotus as teachers, and a Carmelite convent that housed St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, also known as Edith Stein, the Jewish philosopher who converted to Catholicism and died in Auschwitz. If there is a place to show how the Christian faith shaped Europe and formed heroic persons even in its darkest hours, this is it.

Europe is a subject that Pope Benedict has made a priority early in his pontificate, and some early writings of Cardinal Ratzinger show his thoughts on the idea of “Europe” to be especially helpful today. For example, in a 1979 essay entitled “Europe: A heritage with obligations for Christians,” he wrote about Europe’s Greek, Christian, Latin, and modern heritages, and how they formed Europe, apart from its strictly geographical or economic aspects. Various combinations of reason, revelation, morality, law, and freedom have been woven together, not always peacefully, to produce this entity. But the willful neglect of the Christian foundation undermines the rest.

What Endures?
Both the persistence of relativism and the secularism of democratic political life point to the ever-greater need for Catholic social doctrine, particularly as it was developed under John Paul II. And this is not only for the good of Catholics. With all the concerns in Europe about the compatibility between Islam and democracy, the secular tendency is to turn even further away from any religious belief that holds to truth as such.

In the homily cited earlier, Cardinal Ratzinger stressed the “dynamism” of Christian life:

We must be enlivened by a holy restlessness: a restlessness to bring to everyone the gift of faith, of friendship with Christ. Truly, the love and friendship of God was given to us so that it might also be shared with others.… All people desire to leave a lasting mark. But what endures? Money does not. Even buildings do not, nor books. After a certain time, longer or shorter, all these things disappear. The only thing that lasts for ever is the human soul, the human person created by God for eternity.

These words were addressed primarily to his brother cardinals, but here’s to hearing more of the same in Cologne and beyond.


Kishore Jayabalan is director of the Acton Institute’s Rome office.

(This article is a product of the Acton Institute — www.acton.org, 161 Ottawa NW, Suite 301, Grand Rapids, MI 49503 — and is reprinted with permission.)

Photo courtesy of www.PapalImages.com. Papal Images carries high quality matted photos of John Paul II and Benedict XVI for purchase. Click here for more information.

[Salvation]

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[NewCenturions]

Bump

[BulldogCatholic]

What bothers me the most is that why is it that Pope Benedict and the church always refering to JPII and just him? Are they that ashamed of all of the great history before Vatican II and the great popes we had before?

I think he is a good man and an extremely intelligent one at that our Holy Father, but it does strike me as odd to be putting all of the church's future in a Pontiff named JPII who did not grow the faith and never focused on Europe and its falling away from Catholicism as this Pope is doing. I give him credit for this

[Smartass]

Pope Benedict XVI is going at it slow, but, with great affect. I'm glad he's his own person and calling it like is on the war on terror.

[Rosary]

i hope this Pope affects the souls ,minds and hearts of the flocks he tends. Praying for him to be strong in the Faith and Dogmas..and his return to the Latin Tridentine Mass.

[monkapotamus]

"..but it does strike me as odd to be putting all of the church's future in a Pontiff named JPII who did not grow the faith and never focused on Europe and its falling away from Catholicism as this Pope is doing. I give him credit for this"

He hastened the fall of Communism in Eastern Europe - that was helpful.

[floriduh voter]

i watched ETWN OR EWTN today. What an event.

[floriduh voter]

Pope Benedictus is a true gentle man.

[Smartass]

A PREVIEW OF COMING ATTRACTIONS

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Sunday, August 21, 2005 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- FAITH UNDER FIRE Islamic radicals demand guilty verdict for Christians Women on trial for teaching Bible to children with permission of parents -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Posted: August 21, 2005 1:00 a.m. Eastern By John M. Lindner -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- © 2005 Assist News Service Islamic radicals are in no way concealing their agenda as they campaign for a guilty verdict in a court case involving three Christian women accused of "Christianizing" Muslim children in Indonesia. An Indonesian correspondent known only as Ibrahim B. says their agenda is spelled out in an Indonesian-language book with an English title, "Jihad and the Foreign Policy of the Khilafah State." Ibrahim told Assist News Service the book is freely available in Indonesian bookstores and "teaches a vision of aggressive and violent jihad to establish an Islamic caliphate, and from there to launch jihad against other nations to bring them into the Islamic Empire." "This is the new imperialism and the new colonialism my country is facing, and it is evident in the militant mujahideen who gather at the court in Indramayu each week to demand the death of three accused housewives who cared enough about children to try and save them from a future in prostitution," he said. According to Ibrahim, "The radicals want Indonesia to be the foundation of a Southeast Asian caliphate that will launch jihad against other nations such as Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, Australia and Papua New Guinea until they have all submitted to Islam." To achieve this vision, he said, "all pockets of resistance must be subdued. This is why there have been jihad operations in Maluku and Central Sulawesi in the last few years and why there have been more than 100 churches closed down or destroyed in West Java alone in just the last three years – and over 30 churches in the last month." Ibrahim says The Indonesian Council of Mullahs, or MUI, has spearheaded the jihad drive and it is they who are demanding that these three housewives be severely punished for allowing Muslim children to attend their "Happy Week" activities. Ibrahim quotes page 64 of the Jihad book as saying, "It is not allowed for Muslims to fight those whom the Islamic da'wah [preaching] has not reached, rather the unbelievers must first be called to join Islam. If they reject, then they are invited to submit (live under) the ruling of the Islamic State by paying the jizyah tax [protection money – only paid by non-Muslims]. If they reject that, then war must be waged against them in order to remove any obstacle in the way of implementing the Islamic ruling system upon them." In other words, the three choices are join Islam, pay a protection tax called jizyah or be killed in warfare. Ibrahim told ANS the book declares Muslims "must remove any obstacle in the way of implementing the Islamic ruling system." These three housewives are seen as an obstacle that must be removed, he said. Earlier this year, Rebecca Laonita, Ratna Mala Bangun, and Ety Pangesti conducted a "Happy Week" Vacation Bible School-type program in their homes in the village of Haurgelis, West Java. Eventually about a score of Muslim children also attended with permission of their parents. The women were arrested on charges of "Christianization" of Muslim children, and immediately jailed. The court case began June 30. The case is tried only on Thursdays, and fewer militants – 50 to 60 – arrived by truck Thursday than in previous weeks. But their propaganda was no less intense, Ibrahim said. According to Ibrahim, one of their leaders grabbed a megaphone and shouted, "Remember the times of Dutch colonialism! We fought against them with just sharpened bamboo! Our grandfathers shed their blood because of the bullets and bombs of the Dutch. But one man, Diponegoro, became a national hero and stood up against them. You are the ones called to carry out the command of the prophet and you must be just as brave so that you will be able to implement sharia Islam (Islamic law). Are you ready?" The trucked-in militants responded, "Ready! Allahu akbar! [Allah is Greatest!"] The Muslim preacher continued, "Every drop of your blood will give birth to many in Islam who will be proved by Allah. Seventy-two houris [fairy women] will bathe you. "Alhamdulillah! [Allah be Praised!] we have reached the seventh session of the trial. The whole of the Islamic community is again waiting for a just decision [i.e., favorable to Islam], but if this court is not just then we ourselves will act according to our own law. Indeed we have our own plans but we are still holding ourselves back because we respect the law in this nation. But we will not agree if Rebecca and her companions are given a light penalty, or if they are set free. "Don't think for a moment that Rebecca will be able to return peacefully to Haurgeulis [the village where the Happy Week was conducted]. We have our own just methods according to Islamic law. Allahu akbar!" The mujahideen responded loudly with raised, clenched fists, "Allahu akbar! Allah is Greater!" As the court proceedings resumed, Posma Sabam Manahan, a defense lawyer, requested a week's postponement. The prosecution had added new elements in his summary the previous week, and the defense needed more time to prepare. The chief justice immediately granted the defense lawyer's request and closed the session. But the mujahideen, Ibrahim said, broke out in shouts of anger. One cried out, "Don't postpone the trial! Get on with it!" Another shouted, "That's rubbish!" While yet another was clearly heard to say, "Hand down the verdict now! Punish them, judge!" Ibrahim told ANS he next saw something he had never seen before. The chief justice, Judge Hasby, stood up to the shouting militants and exploded in anger against them. "This court has its rules and regulations! Who dared to tell us to hand down the verdict now?" he declared. The judge rebuked them for their behavior and then told them to be patient. "This threw the leaders of the mujahideen into a panic as they scurried around calming down their troops and telling them to leave the court in an orderly fashion," Ibrahim said. The mujahideen then retreated, climbed into their trucks and departed for another week. "Today's brush with outrage made me wonder what will be the outcome of this case," Ibrahim told ANS. "Can the judges truly be impartial when even their own safety is being threatened? Can they possibly hand down a 'not guilty' verdict knowing that the mujahideen are threatening violent jihad and the shedding of blood? What will happen to the Christians in Haurgeulis and the families of the three accused if the women are cleared or given a light sentence? Truly the potential consequences are disturbing, but the three women must not be allowed to be thrown on the scrap heap of convenience just to placate the violent mujahideen." Ibrahim said Indonesia is a land known for its tolerance. It has a constitution that guarantees freedom of religion and a system of law that is meant to protect the innocent and the oppressed and to punish the oppressors. The question is, will these standards prevail, or will they be overpowered by a highly vocal, militant minority bent on jihad? Aug. 17 was the nation's 58th celebration of the Declaration of Independence since 1945. Ibrahim said, "I felt as proud as any Indonesian should be, because the nation had liberated itself from Dutch colonialism. But I also felt shame as I saw my fellow countrymen becoming victims of a new imperialism, a new colonialism in radical Islam that wishes to subject its will on the nation." "Will we see true justice in this case?" Ibrahim asks. "We can only pray that we will."

[Salvation]

I have great hope in these young people. The enthusiasm of the seminarians was fantastic!

[Salvation]

How are you feeling anyway, miracle girl?

[Salvation]

Oops -- Formatting?

[Smartass]

I know.   I don't know what FR does to it during posting.   I get frustrating sometimes when FR strips code, and it looks like the last post.   I'll get it one of these days.

 

[fortunecookie]

Thanks for the thread. It's heartening to see the tradition started by Pope John Paul II continued by Pope Benedict XVI and so well received. It's heartening to see so many young Catholics attending and reverently at that. And it's good for all of us, almost like a retreat of sorts.

[fortunecookie]

why is it that Pope Benedict and the church always refering to JPII and just him?

Well, I think 2 possible reasons - Pope John Paul II is recently deceased and was our Pope for over 26 years, a very long time in our collective recent memories. And also, he started the tradition of World Youth Day early in his pontificate. I suspect as Pope Benedict continues in his pontificate, more on others will come out, especially since he seems to be following JPII's more conservative line.

[floriduh voter]

Every day I feel a little something different. I'll know what's really hurt by the end of next week. Everything has to shake out. I think it's going to be mainly my jaw that's the issue. I have lots to do so all I can say is "here we go again." I need to update my web page soon. My neck is cracking now and then but that's supposed to be a good sign. I'm glad to be here, glad to be anywhere.

[Salvation]

Continued prpayers for your recovery!

[sockmonkey]

It's heartening to see so many young Catholics attending and reverently at that. And it's good for all of us, almost like a retreat of sorts.

I haven't watched the coverage of WYD very much the past week. I did hear (from Sister Sockmonkey) that there were liturgical dancers at vespers on Saturday evening. She wondered "who plans this stuff?" Did anyone else see the liturgical dancers? It's exactly why I tried not to watch WYD.

[fortunecookie]

I did hear (from Sister Sockmonkey) that there were liturgical dancers at vespers on Saturday evening. She wondered "who plans this stuff?"

Oh, no, sigh, not the liturgical dancers. And at Vespers, no less. It was probably someone from my diocese (NW PA) or maybe Cali. I was hoping there wouldn't be any of the 'funky' stuff. I didn't get to watch much, either, but did manage to tape a little to watch later.

A few years ago when our local lifeteen group went to WYD in Colorado, they were joking later about how groups 'snuck stuff by' the Pope and others. At least they countered the pro-condom group and booted the band that intended to bash Catholicism.