Posted on 07/09/2009 12:56:07 PM PDT by Irisshlass
July 8, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Newspapers, blogs, talk-shows on radio and television are full of discussion over Pope Benedict XVI's supposed call for a "new world order" or a "one-world government." These ideas are, however, neither based in reality nor a clear reading of the Pope's latest encyclical, Caritas in Veritate, the release of which yesterday spawned the heated discussion.
The Pope actually speaks directly against a one-world government, and, as would be expected from those who have read his previous writings, calls for massive reform of the United Nations. Confusion seems to have come from paragraph 67 of the encyclical, which has some choice pull-quotes which have spiced the pages of the world's news, from the New York Times to those of conspiracy theorist bloggers seeing the Pope as the Anti-Christ.
The key quote which has led to the charge reads: "To manage the global economy; to revive economies hit by the crisis; to avoid any deterioration of the present crisis and the greater imbalances that would result; to bring about integral and timely disarmament, food security and peace; to guarantee the protection of the environment and to regulate migration: for all this, there is urgent need of a true world political authority, as my predecessor Blessed John XXIII indicated some years ago."
However, in paragraph 41, the Holy Father specifically differentiates his concept of a world political authority from that of a one-world government. "We must," he says "promote a dispersed political authority." He explains that "The integrated economy of the present day does not make the role of States redundant, but rather it commits governments to greater collaboration with one another. Both wisdom and prudence suggest not being too precipitous in declaring the demise of the State. In terms of the resolution of the current crisis, the State's role seems destined to grow, as it regains many of its competences. In some nations, moreover, the construction or reconstruction of the State remains a key factor in their development."
Later in the encyclical (57) he speaks of the opposite concept to one- world government -subsidiarity (the principle of Catholic social teaching which states that matters ought to be handled by the smallest, lowest or least centralized competent authority) - as being essential. "In order not to produce a dangerous universal power of a tyrannical nature, the governance of globalization must be marked by subsidiarity," says the Pope.
Another of the key quotes which is being extracted for shock value from the encyclical is this: "In the face of the unrelenting growth of global interdependence, there is a strongly felt need, even in the midst of a global recession, for a reform of the United Nations Organization, and likewise of economic institutions and international finance, so that the concept of the family of nations can acquire real teeth."
Since long before his papacy, Joseph Ratzinger has vigorously fought the United Nations' vision of a 'New World Order'. As early as 1997, and repeated subsequently, Ratzinger took public aim at such a vision, noting that the philosophy coming from UN conferences and the Millennium Summit "proposes strategies to reduce the number of guests at the table of humanity, so that the presumed happiness [we] have attained will not be affected."
"At the base of this New World Order", he said is the ideology of "women's empowerment," which erroneously sees "the principal obstacles to [a woman's] fulfillment [as] the family and maternity." The then-cardinal advised that "at this stage of the development of the new image of the new world, Christians - and not just them but in any case they even more than others - have the duty to protest."
Benedict XVI in fact repeats those criticisms in the new encyclical. In Caritas in Veritate, the Pope slams "practices of demographic control, on the part of governments that often promote contraception and even go so far as to impose abortion." He also denounces international economic bodies such as the IMF and World Bank (without specifically naming them) for their lending practices which tie aid to so-called 'family planning.' "There is reason to suspect that development aid is sometimes linked to specific health-care policies which de facto involve the imposition of strong birth control measures," says the encyclical.
Any vision of a proper ordering of the world, of international economics or political cooperation, suggests the Pope, must be based on a "moral order." That includes first and foremost "the fundamental right to life" from conception to natural death, the recognition of the family based on marriage between one man and one woman as the basis of society and freedom for faith and cooperation among all peoples based on principles of natural law.
Catholic back peddle ping.
No..just another media botch vatican story.
And half the time it's just malicious incompetence. Journalists don't actually read Encyclicals. They pretty much have the reading age of US Senators.
LOL, my thoughts exactly. Unfortunately for the Pope, it’s too late.
No matter what people may think, the Pope is the Vicar of Jesus Christ on earth, of Jesus Christ’s Church on earth, He does not support a one world government and will be here to the bitter end as Christ stated the gates of hell shall not prevail against His Church.
No matter what people may think, the Pope is the Vicar of Jesus Christ on earth, of Jesus Christ’s Church on earth, He does not support a one world government and will be here to the bitter end as Christ stated the gates of hell shall not prevail against His Church.
The Pope is right in this and you know it. Don’t believe the liberal Reuters and AP stories.
And may I ask — have you read the entire document? If not, then please don’t comment on it. I will post several links with the full text (including footnotes in a couple of links below.)
[Caritas in Veritate] Father Fessio: A New Framework for Social Justice [Catholic/Orthodox Caucus]
A Capitalist or Anti-Capitalist Encyclical? [Caritas in Veritate]
A Capitalist or Anti-Capitalist Encyclical? [Caritas in Veritate]
Caritas In Veritate (Pope Benedict XVI Encyclical)-Full Text
Pope's New Encyclical Speaks Against New World Order [Catholic Caucus]
On the 3rd Encyclical (Catholic/Orthodox Caucus)
Best Pro-Life Quotes from Pope Benedict XVI's New Encyclical
Encycli-bites for reading “Caritas in veritate”
In new encyclical Pope Benedict slams population control, urges openness to life
The New Encyclical [Cairtas in Veritate -- Love and Truth] {Ecumenical]
AP, Reuters Go Full Tilt in Spinning Latest Writing of Pope
Caritatis [sic] in Veritate: papal encyclical calls for new moral approach to global economy (CWN)
Supreme Knight criticizes use of Pope's encyclical for political agendas
Benedict XVI explains gifts and limitations of free market economy
Benedict XVI Tightens Up the Church's Social Teaching
Excerpts from Pope Benedict XVI New Encyclical "CARITAS IN VERITATE" (CHARITY AND TRUTH)
Love for others requires involvement in politics, pope says
on’t you mean back-pedaling?
The Pope is not back-pedaling, nor is lifesitenews.
They are telling the truth. Please read the document and study particularly, the part on subsidiarity.
Opps.
Don’t you mean back-pedaling?
His Church is the entire Body of Christ, not any one denomination, but all of us who have Christ as Lord and Savior. He may be a Godly man but he’s no more Godly than any other child of God. His purpose in life may be as your Pope, but many others glorify God with their purpose in life as well.
Whenever Christ speaks of His Church, it is always in the singular. Christ didn’t say, I have built my churches nor did He say, Hear the Churches.
TRue. The Body of Christ IS His Church, people, not deonomations.
No, I don’t KNOW it. I would like to believe this was taken out of context and that he didn’t say what we all think was said.
Where is it in scripture that hundreds of sects are branches of the Church Christ established? Christ only set up one church, not hundreds. The body of one faith is the Church under the Christ instituted Chair of Peter, Pope Benedict.
Lutheran founded by Martin Luther 1517.
Mennonite founded by Grebel, Mantz, and Blaurock in Switzerland 1525.
Anglican founded by King Henry VIII in 1534.
Presbyterian founded by John Knox in Scotland 1560.
Congregationalist founded in Holland by Robert Brown 1583.
Baptist founded in Amsterdam by John Smyth 1606.
Unitarian founded by John Biddle in London 1645.
Episcopalian founded by Samuel Seabury in the American Colonies 17th century.
Quaker founded by George Fox in England 1647.
Methodist founded by John and Charles Wesley in England 1739.
Univesalist founded by John Murray in New Jersey 1770.
Evangelical founded by Jacob Albright in Pennsylvania 1803.
Mormon founded by Joseph Smith in New York 1829.
Seventh Day Adventist founded by William Miller in New York, 1831.
Salvation Army founded by William Booth in London 1865.
Jehovah Witness founded by Charles Taze Russell in 1872.
Christian Scientist founded by Mary Baker Eddy in Massachusetts in 1879.
Assembly of God started in Arkansas in 1914.
Evangelical Reformed created in 1934.
Pentecostal Gospel one of hundreds of sects founded by men in the last 100 years.
And, so? We are all the Body of Christ, no matter when founded. There were churches in the early days of Christ’s ministries and it wasn’t the Catholic Church. It was and remains to be the Body of Christ.
Where is the scripture that says the Catholic Church is the one founded by Jesus? His church is the holy catholic, meaning universal, church, not the Catholic church, which is a sect.
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