Posted on 09/26/2004 8:30:20 AM PDT by FITZ
CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy (AP) -- Pope John Paul II denounced the "imbalance" between the world's rich and poor Sunday and applauded efforts to eliminate hunger, like the recent U.N. initiative to increase funds for development.
The 84-year-old pontiff had to stop for breath every few words as he spoke to a few hundred pilgrims and tourists in his last Sunday appearance this season at his summer palace in the hill town of Castel Gandolfo. John Paul has Parkinson's disease, making it difficult for him to walk and to pronounce his words.
The pontiff said Sunday's Gospel passage about Lazarus, an impoverished beggar who ate the scraps from a rich man's table, was "ever more appropriate in reference to the problem of the imbalance between the riches and poverty of the world today."
On Monday, the presidents of Brazil and France encouraged 110 countries to back a new declaration to fight hunger and poverty and to increase funds for development. More than 50 heads of state or government joined in a debate at the United Nations on the impact of globalization and on ways to finance the war on poverty.
John Paul called the U.N. meeting important and said it was aimed at "a more united and efficient action against hunger and poverty." He noted the Vatican's No. 2 official, Cardinal Angelo Sodano, who is the city-state's secretary of state, participated in the debate and pledged the Holy See's support for the initiative.
The United States didn't join in the pledge to fight hunger and poverty. The Bush administration objected to proposals for international taxes as undemocratic and impossible to implement.
John Paul reiterated his Church's backing.
"The Catholic Church assures all its commitment to eradicating the scourge of hunger and the other consequences of poverty from the world," the pope said.
He prayed that God would "sustain the efforts of the international community aimed at justice and solid development. This, in fact, is the path which can guarantee to the world a future of peace."
John Paul also offered prayers on prayers for families and populations "most tried by the unfair distribution of wealth that God destines for all his children."
While the pope struggled with his brief speech Sunday, he announced he was forging ahead with his grueling schedule. After again taking up residence at the Vatican on Wednesday, he will lead a long beatification ceremony on Oct. 3 in St. Peter's Square.
Gold is incorruptible. That is why it is used. Nothing can pass through it, plus it's very stable. Every care must be taken with the Body and Precious Blood to the point where the wine is poured now before either elevation, just to be sure.
As an aside, gold is also a main theme of Revelation. Just food for thought.
I denounce the imbalance of opportunity
#75
God is unfair? ...or did I read that wrong?
Oh, maybe he means that God destines all people to be wealthy? Hmmm, that can't be right either...
What IS he talking about?
He might be able to feed the world single-handedly; his church has much wealth, but it is invested in ornate houses of worship and icons right now. God never told government to supply "wealth"; meeting the material needs of those who are starving is the responsibility of individuals and churches. (For instance, Mother Teresa.)
And as he spake, a certain Pharisee besought him to dine with him: and he went in, and sat down to meat. And when the Pharisee saw it, he marvelled that he had not first washed before dinner. And the Lord said unto him, Now do ye Pharisees make clean the outside of the cup and the platter; but your inward part is full of ravening and wickedness. -Luke 11:37-39
Moron. He should have quit while he was ahead. He has his legacy in helping bring down communism. It's sad to see him make such a fool of himself.
In any case, you can be in favor of a more equitable distribution of wealth without being in favor of forcibly taking from the rich and giving to the poor, or to development.
The Pope John Paul 2 of the 1980's was a strong fighter against the evils of communism and the destructive influence of socialism on his native country of Poland, consistent and influential enough to rank placement with the other brave 80's politicians who helped to defeat Soviet Communism (like Reagan, Thatcher, Kohl, Pinochet).
The Pope John Paul 2 of the new century is erroneous in his writings and shaky in his beliefs. His wits seem to be failing him at an almost continuous pace now. The might have fallen, but it is nothing to gloat for.
I am actually very saddened by this, because we have lost a once-great man to the false gods of the U.N. and socialism.
May the Lord God receive the Pope into his arms soon, and may we forget what has become of the Pope in his frail and soft-headed later years.
What has changed? People don't have to go any more?
Nobody's ever had to go unless they were in serious sin.
France has a big mouth...lets see how big their pockets are. The USA is the most charitable nation..bar none. We give 200,000,000,000 every year. Those are the latest stats on Cavuto's show.
Okay . . . I am not a Catholic and I am not defending Catholicism. I merely point out the irony of Calvinism, which teaches total reliance of G-d in matters of salvation, teaching a sort of "pull yourself up by your bootstraps," "root, hog, or die" philosophy in earthly matters. Catholicism apparently subscribes to the opposite contradiction.
So let's get this straight. Kristin isn't a Catholic because she disagrees with a few of the hypocritical political positions of the global Catholic church, even though she believes in the basics of the Catholic dogma.
Is that what you're saying? Well do you agree that the Pope is mortal and, therefore, fallible?
Have not "all sinned, and come short of the glory of God"?
Can a Catholic, in your mind, disagree with the Church's official positions on secular issues like wealth, war, etc. and still be a *true* Catholic? Did God not give us the ability to decide our opinions for ourselves, informed only by His word alone, and not regulated by the opinion of mortal man.
Hmmm. Hope all you Catholics are as tolerant as you. Maybe people like you are why I'm a Protestant (and also, surprise, NOT a frequent churchgoer within my own denomination either due to the disgusting views of many of it's leaders).
Modern America is a more stratified society with less mobility between classes than there once was. Everyone is familiar with older movies that have a character who is a clerk in a mailroom or bellhop at the hotel who someday aspires to manage the hotel or hold a white collar job at the corporation.
Such imagery is no longer employed in modern folklore because the minimum wage worker in a corporate mailroom will never see the office of the CEO. Instead, if anything, he'll end up at another minimum wage job at another corporation.
Meanwhile, the executive suite of corporation A will, in the case of a vacancy, be filled with the right suit from corporation B. This suit will be charismatic, look good, and play golf at the right country club. His resume will have the magic word "chief" on it from a previous job and perhaps have the magic initials "MBA" on it - though in the modern world those initials mean much less than they did just 20 years ago.
Now granted, our poor are far wealthier than the poor of other nations. Nevertheless, it's hard to hide the fact that America isn't the land of opportunity that it once was.
And frankly, concern for the poor - not hoarding of material wealth - is a Christian virtue like it or not.
Upon which he was excommunicated in foresight of his present criticism of his own Clergy... LOL. I bet for purposes of tellig the world how many catholics there are, he's still catholic right. He just ain't catholic at the moment because he's pointing out the Church of Rome making itself look bad? Is there philosophical precident for this or is it just debate tactic?
If he's ex-catholic, perhaps he might entertain becoming a Christian?
Yes, but what's changed?
Lots. I taught a class of catechumens about the Sacrament of Reconciliation this morning. Sorry you missed it.
Send it overseas for what? free? If we implemented your idea, the moment Americans stopped scarfing down three big-macs a day, half of the food industry would go bankrupt. In a very short time the industry would shrink adjusting to the change in demand.
Why the hell should I pay more taxes for starving Africans who chased and murdered the white farmers out of their counties?
Calumny is a sin. John Paul fought against Soviet communism, and helped free Eastern Europe.
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