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.

[BlackElk]

Ninenot: I confess that I knew all along of that superficial and apparent agreement with you know whom. I, however, am a lifelong and sincere saber-rattler. I suspect Sink is opportunistically posing as a nationalist in foreign policy to ease his "progress" in causing Catholics to embrace a theologically nationalistic and Modernist AmChurch. Like: Weakland and Bernardin and McPhony and Delaney are or were right and JP II is almost always wrong (celbacy, birth control, opposition to sterile materialism, orthodox Catholicism, no democracy or anarchy in the pews, no lavender canoodling, etc.).

One relief is that, there is no similarity, even superficially between the sage of Wisconsin (reluctant to aggress but prepared ever to defend and nobly so) and the wayward minor cleric of Fort Worth AmChurchianism and all-pupose Kumbaya (how does support of the "rights" of lavender canoodlers, by a deacon no less, jibe with faux support for pre-emptive military action?)

Oh, and, ummm, Good Morning, Deacon!

[BlackElk]

Actually, I think Sink wants Hildebeast to become the next AmChurch bishop of Fort Worth. That would help settle his envy of the New Hampshire "Episcopalians" and their swell "Bishop" Vicki Gene Robinson. Her Stanic Majesty, the junior senator from New York, would have to make believe she converted but he hopes that she will regard Fort Worth as worth a Mass as Henry of Navarre or wherever used to say.

[Cap'n Crunch]

I got to stop home for a minute. Glad I did.

Canoodling LOL... snort....LOL

Now I'm off again, but that made my day. Adios

[Polycarp IV]

No, apparently you hit the "abuse" button, and now desire to gloat over my short suspension.

Grow up, Sink.

[Polycarp IV]

"TROLL"?

Yeah. Sure.

[Polycarp IV]

overlain with a topsoil made from the corpses of 3000 innocent human beings.

Why are those 3000 innocents' lives worth more than the 4000 innocents we murdered ourselves that very same day? Of course, we then repeated that murder of 4000 innocents every day since then.

This is the face of terrorism, true domestic terrorism. It far outstrips the carnage of a handful of Muslim extremists.

[ninenot]

Like: Weakland and Bernardin and McPhony and Delaney are or were right and JP II is almost always wrong (celbacy, birth control, opposition to sterile materialism, orthodox Catholicism, no democracy or anarchy in the pews, no lavender canoodling, etc.).

Go ahead, say it: Americanism. There. Now you can feel better. Sure, it's a heresy (derived from the Lutheranism "all opinions are equal" heresy you ID'd a post or two above...) and it's not nice to call people heretics.

But now and then it's refreshing to call the spade a spade.

About time you re-posted the full set of lyrics to "Torquemada's Band," for the enlightenment of girl shortstop, BTW.

[BlackElk]

Those militant Muslims had better be a lot better than they have showed so far because, to push us into the sea is a long trip. We have no seas nearby just the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and the Gulf of Mexico and Long Island Sound and maybe another small body of water or two but no seas.

Then here is the even more formidable problem that, with more than 100 million guns in private hands courtesy of the foresight of the Founding Fathers, they will have to do more than elect Mrs. Antichrist and obtain her formal surrender. That will only be the beginning. They will then have to take the United States region by region, state by state, county by county, town by town, street by street, block by block, house by house and room by room. There were never that many Muslims, militant or otherwise, in Muhammed's dreams much less Muhammed el Rootie Kazooty's, no matter what they may think in Fort Worth.

[BlackElk]

Is it not true that in all of the Middle East only Israel allows Arabs to vote?

[ninenot]

Sinky's "doom is imminent, the Muslims are coming!!!" in #621 is not unlike the "Yellowstone will bury the entire USA soon!!!!" thread.

Another indication that Sink knows less about war than about Roman Catholic authority.

[BlackElk]

On matters religous, the Vatican is the standard and Fort Worth is the deviation. Ninenot is perfectly correct on that. Granting that foreign policy is not dogma, a deacon owes respect and, at least, theological obedience to the pope.

[GirlShortstop]

About time you re-posted the full set of lyrics to "Torquemada's Band," for the enlightenment of girl shortstop, BTW.

Ooooh, I dig gettin' educated.  ;-)

[BlackElk]

To do justice to "Torquemada's Band", I will wait until my wife returns from Rockford this afternoon. I remember some but not all of the lyrics.

[GirlShortstop]

I think I will take the scholarship of the Encyclopedia Britannica over that of the no-name Free Dictionary, just as I take the moral leadership and scholarship of the Teaching Magisterium of the Roman Catholic Church (established upon Peter by Jesus Christ and guaranteed by Him) over the weak tea of the deformed trend of the week clubs.

All I can say is, WOW what a post!
Calling you "General" seems too small.
FReegards!

[Polycarp IV]

perhaps because his knowledge of the world is a little better than yours.

You're implying ignorance or foolishness on Sinky's part?

Careful, Sink might cry to the mods and get your post pulled and your account suspended ;-)

[ninenot]

I figured that your suspension was related to Sinky. He's an ex-mod and has some pull.

Curiously, although my posts are critical of Bush on occasion (and REALLY critical) I've not been suspended (yet.)

[BlackElk]

Awwww. Blushing Elk, thanks to you, my lady.

[Polycarp IV]

He's an ex-mod and has some pull.

Very interesting indeed.

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

Define "wrong."

Hello Bill!

BigMack

[Polycarp IV]

I thought you left too ;-)