Originally posted by royalchicken
What do you think, personally, about his selection, bridgebuilding aside? You're the most vocal Catholic on RHP (which I don't intend as a slur of any kind), and I'm interested to see what your reaction is.
Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger: 'Rebel with a cause'
One of the three pillars of the new Pope's pontificate will be the understanding between the different world-religions. He is one of the main architects of this policy that began to bloom during the pontificate of his predecessor John-Paul II.
The other two pillars adress the following:
Firtsly, "Faith then cometh by hearing; and hearing by the word of Christ." [Rom. x:17]
Secondly, an extended quote from the Encyclical "In Hac Tanta" (1917) from Pope Benedict XV.
IN HAC TANTA
ENCYCLICAL OF POPE BENEDICT XV
ON ST. BONIFACE
TO HIS EMINENCE CARDINAL HARTMANN,
ARCHBISHOP OF COLOGNE,
AND TO THE OTHER ARCHBISHOPS OF GERMANY.
"2. In these dark times, the memory of St. Boniface, who brought salvation to Germany twelve centuries ago, is a ray of light and a messenger of hope and joy. We commemorate the ancient union of the German people with the Apostolic See. This union planted the first seeds of faith in your country and helped them grow. After the Roman See entrusted Boniface with this legation, he ennobled it by the exceptional glory of his deeds and, finally, by the blood of martyrdom.
3. Now twelve centuries later, we think you should plan as many celebrations as possible to commemorate this new era of Christian civilization. This era was begun by the mission and the preaching of Boniface, and then carried forth by his disciples and successors. From these came the salvation and the prosperity of Germany."
In my view, above two quotes together with the reaching out to the other world-religions describe the three main pillars of Pope Benedict XVI's pontificate, his "program" so to say.
The first (Bible) quote may seem very self-evident, but it is not. If you listen to Christians and non-Christians in our days they very often speak about the Faith as a "feeling" or an "experience". They refer to the Faith as "my truth", "your truth" or "not my truth" as if we can establish for ourselves what is true according to our own feelings and experiences. In short: the plague of "Moral Relativism" and the "Autonomous Human Person". There isn't anymore a "Truth" with a capital T in the minds of many unbelievers ánd believers.
The Scripture tells us:
"Faith then cometh by hearing; and hearing by the word of Christ." [Rom. x:17]
The Faith, the Truth, has to be taught, it has to be learned. Accepting the Faith doesn't have anything to do with all kinds of personal "feelings" and "experiences". These are notions taught to us by modernism and New age. The Roman-Catholic Faith has nothing to do with magic or other forms of irrationality. Our Faith is a Faith were Reason has a prominent place. Having said that the above doesn't mean that feelings and experiences do not play a role in a person's "Living the Faith", on the contrary. What I want to say, is that the Faith, the Truth, does not find its fundaments in religious feelings and experiences. The fundament of the Faith is the "Word" that has to be spread ànd heard. The fundament is Jesus Christ, who is the Word and who gives us His Father's Message. It is brought to us by men who were and are inspired and motivated by the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth, men like St. Boniface, patron of Europe, who brought the Word to a region that is now known as Germany and is looked upon as one of the "Founding Fathers" of European civilisation.
Bringing the Faith is introducing God to the people, the real God, not the god people want to "feel" or "experience". Bringing the Faith is bringing salvation to people, bringing a message of hope, joy, peace and prosperity.
The present Pope is very motivated to re-evangelise Europe and he will tell us all that modernism is not the way to true happiness, but the Gospel of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Habemus Papam
19 Apr '05 20:15
Back to Top