Pope wants new international order to keep peace

Reuters | January 1, 2004 | Claire Soares

[HAL9000]

VATICAN CITY, Jan 1 (Reuters) - The world needs a "new international order" to solve its conflicts and ensure peace, Pope John Paul said in his New Year's Day address on Thursday.

The ghosts of 2003 -- when the United States invaded Iraq without United Nations approval -- dominated the pope's first speech of 2004.

"More than ever we need a new international order which draws on the experience and results of the United Nations," the 83-year-old pontiff said at a mass in St Peter's Basilica.

"An order which is capable of finding adequate solutions to today's problems, based on the dignity of human beings, on integrating all society, on solidarity between rich and poor countries, on the sharing of resources and the extraordinary results of scientific and technological progress," he added.

Speaking at Christendom's largest church, the pope urged people not to lose hope of finding peace in the Holy Land, which the Vatican feels is vital to winning the war on terror.

"The land in which Jesus was born sadly continues to live in a dramatic condition. And in other parts of the world sparks of violence and conflict have not been extinguished either. But we need to persevere and not bow to the temptation of losing hope."

Turning to Africa, the pope paid tribute to his Burundi ambassador, Michael Courtney, killed on Monday in an ambush the army has blamed on rebels who have refused to join a peace process to end a 10-year conflict.

"(He) was tragically killed...while he was going about his mission of promoting dialogue and reconciliation. We pray for him and hope his example and sacrifice will bear the fruits of peace in Burundi and the world," the pope said.

The leader of the world's one billion Catholics, who suffers from Parkinson's disease that makes it difficult for him to talk, seemed alert and read all of his homily in a clear voice.

But it is unclear what 2004 holds for him. For the first time since his election in 1978, the pope enters the new year with no firm plans for travel, although there have been some invitations.

He was particularly weak on his last foreign trip, a visit to Slovakia in September, when aides had to read most of his addresses for him.

[Polycarp IV]

John Calvin was particularly nasty and was responsible for many floggings, imprisonments, tortures, banishments, and burnings at the stake. The interesting thing is that no one is going to whine about me being a Protestant basher even though I've just slammed one of the most influential Protestants in history.

You obviously missed the hundreds of threads between the Calvinists and opposing protestants on the Religion Forum in which Calvinists continually cry foul when what you just mentioned is brought up.

Its also intersting to note that witch burnings were almost 100% a protestant phenomenon, and protestants were guilty of as many or more deaths of Catholics than vice versa (the starvation of Catholic Ireland by protestant England more than outweighs any excesses of the Inquisition), but some anti-Catholic bigots simply blame Catholicism for every evil known to history and are blind to their own churches' sins.

[ninenot]

The Vatican did not then, and does not now, guide our foreign policy.

X42 was a traitor in several ways, and Monicagate was only the tip of the iceberg. The "UN" action in Bosnia was one of the dumbest moves ever made by mankind--on a par with the UN's LACK of movement in Africa.

JPII has plenty of reasons to indicate that the UN is a box of rocks--but perhaps a good model, if filled with good people.

[Desdemona]

Believe me, I know more about Bernardin than I care to. In the last seven years, the rebuilding began from the seminaries to the pews. Another ten years and most of the rest of the apostate bishops will have retired. In this case, patience is a very good thing.

[DallasMike]

So now you have a catchy acronym: Yopios. Very cute, but no substance.

Yes, you'll see the acronym YOPIOS pretty often around here. That odd since the Catholic church has only infallibly interpreted a handfull of scripture passages. However, facts and logic don't set well with these folks.

[ninenot]

but some anti-Catholic bigots simply blame Catholicism for every evil known to history

It is no small irony that on THIS thread, the anti-Catholics would, in effect, have JPII re-start the Crusades...

[Polycarp IV]

Yeah sure. We'll hide it away in plane sight. In fact, we'll chain it to a post in the middle of the Church so that everyone has a chance to read it and no one can steal it; since the printing press has not yet been invented our monks have to spend entire lives just to produce a few highly precious copies.

Nice try.

[Bluntpoint]

but some anti-Catholic bigots simply blame Catholicism for every evil known to history and are blind to their own churches' sins.

I used to hate Baptist Night at the local movie theater.

[cajungirl]

Don't include me in iwith Catholic haters,,I hate some Catholics but I am an equal opportunity hater including methodists, baptists and jews on my list also. As to DaVinci code, it was fascinating and I did not see it as Anti Catholic.

[DallasMike]

Well, Mikey, I see you crawled out of your hole for the show.

And I see that you're still the James Carville of Catholicism: All insults and no substance.

[Polycarp IV]

That odd since the Catholic church has only infallibly interpreted a handfull of scripture passages.

Really? If its only a small handfull, them I'm sure it will be easy for you to list them here.

And then we can compare the 2000 year old interpretation of those scriptures to YourOwnPersonalInterpretationOfScripture TM.

[cebadams]

To be accurate -- Guttenberg invented the printing press to print Catholic bibles to give the good monks some much needed help and to get the good news out.

[NeoCaveman]

Bernardine cemented the homosexual lock on the seminaries.

Bernadin is likely getting his right now. It will take years to undo the damage he has caused.

[Bluntpoint]

I hate Mormons. They are planning to take over the entire world.

[NeoCaveman]

It is no small irony that on THIS thread, the anti-Catholics would, in effect, have JPII re-start the Crusades...

They are amusing.

[Polycarp IV]

Yes, thanks for that correction. But I guess the Church hid those Guttenberg bibles in the same tunnels where Maria monk buried her babies...or so I expect to hear soon from the esteemed protestant academics on this thread.

[DallasMike]

You obviously missed the hundreds of threads between the Calvinists and opposing protestants on the Religion Forum in which Calvinists continually cry foul when what you just mentioned is brought up.

I participated in a few of the earlier threads but my eyes quickly glazed over. I don't doubt that some have cried "Protestant-basher" when these things are brought up but I haven't seen it done personally. On the other hand, little yappers like ninenot and big bellowers like BlackElk cry "Catholic-basher" every time they get the chance.

Wrong is wrong whether it's committed by Catholics or Protestants.

[Bluntpoint]

I found the Crusades somewhat slapstick.

[battousai]

Why is everyone seeing the glass as half empty...

"More than ever we need a new international order which draws on the experience and results of the United Nations,"

I take that to mean learn from the failure and do nothing nature of the UN and make something better, if anything this is a strike against the UN, if the UN was so great why would the Pope be calling for a new order?

And as the head of the largest Chrisitan denomination in the world it would not be very Christlike for him to call for war and revenge on our enemies, is that what Christ did from the cross?

It is the government's duty to go to war, it is the Pope's duty to call for peace.

[utahagen]

I don't agree with JPII on this either, but there is good news buried beneath his plea for an new international group: the implication that the U.N. is an otiose body. I hope the liberals seize on this particular opinion of the Pope's, because in doing so, they, too, would be conceding the U.N. is a joke.

[ninenot]

I did not see it as Anti Catholic

As long as you remember that ALL of the book is fiction, you're OK.

If you believe the "historian"'s assertions about the Church hiding all sorts of evidence 'proving' that Xt married Magdalene, etc., etc.--then you've drunk the KoolAid.