Benedict began his remarks by citing the plight of Christians in Iraq, where two-thirds of what was once the Middle East’s second-largest Christian population has vanished since the first Gulf War in 1991.
“Christians are original and authentic citizens” in the Middle East, he said, and they should “enjoy all the rights of freedom of conscience, freedom of worship and freedom of education, teaching and the use of the mass media.”
But it's not enough for governments to simply guarantee freedom of worship, he said. They must also respect freedom of conscience and stop discriminating against Christians in housing and employment and allow Muslims to convert to Christianity without the deadly consequences so often seen in these nations.
Communist nations such as China and Cuba were also criticized for their anti-Christian hostility in which “philosophical and political systems call for strict control, if not a monopoly, of the state over society.”
The Pope went on to warn about what he described as a growing tendency to “marginalize” Christianity in the West. He singled out a case currently on appeal before the European Court of Human Rights which would require Italy to remove crucifixes from its public school classrooms.
He continued by calling for the upholding of the “right to conscientious objection” on the part of Christian health care workers, pharmacists and legal professionals, saying they should retain the right to refuse involvement in procedures that violate church teaching.
Also condemned were educational programs that want to "mandate obligatory participation in courses of sexual or civic education" with content opposed to Catholic teaching.
"I cannot remain silent about another attack on the religious freedom of families in certain European countries which mandate obligatory participation in courses of sexual or civic education," the pope said.
These courses "convey a neutral concept of the person and of life, yet in fact reflect an anthropology opposed to faith and to right reason."
He cited a situation in Spain where Church leaders and Catholic parents are objecting to an anti-Christian public school curriculum mandated by the Socialist government that presents homosexuality, divorce and abortion in a positive light.
Catholic education is also being "compromised or hampered by legislative proposals which risk creating a sort of state monopoly" in schools, particularly in Latin America, he said.
He went on to say that it is not permissible for Western nations to infringe on the freedom of conscience out of concern to uphold "other alleged new rights which, while actively promoted by certain sectors of society and inserted in national legislation or in international directives, are nonetheless merely an expression of selfish desires lacking a foundation in authentic human nature."
These "alleged new rights" include a woman's right to choose to have an abortion and the right of homosexual people to marry and adopt children.
While this is not the first time a Pope has decried religious intolerance in the world, this speech was "unusually focused," writes John Allen of the National Catholic Reporter who claims it reflects "a growing conviction in the Vatican that anti-Christian persecution around the world, sometimes referred to as 'Christianophobia,' is taking on epidemic proportions."
© All Rights Reserved, Living His Life Abundantly®/Women of Grace® http://www.womenofgrace.com
Pope Issues Strong Condemnation of Anti-Christian Hostility
By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Journalist
In a major foreign policy speech addressed to the diplomatic corps at the Holy See, Pope Benedict XVI delivered a sweeping attack on all forms of religious intolerance prevalent in the world today, from Pakistan's draconian blasphemy law to Western sex ed programs that indoctrinate children into homosexuality and acceptance of abortion.
Benedict began his remarks by citing the plight of Christians in Iraq, where two-thirds of what was once the Middle East’s second-largest Christian population has vanished since the first Gulf War in 1991.
“Christians are original and authentic citizens” in the Middle East, he said, and they should “enjoy all the rights of freedom of conscience, freedom of worship and freedom of education, teaching and the use of the mass media.”
But it's not enough for governments to simply guarantee freedom of worship, he said. They must also respect freedom of conscience and stop discriminating against Christians in housing and employment and allow Muslims to convert to Christianity without the deadly consequences so often seen in these nations.
Communist nations such as China and Cuba were also criticized for their anti-Christian hostility in which “philosophical and political systems call for strict control, if not a monopoly, of the state over society.”
The Pope went on to warn about what he described as a growing tendency to “marginalize” Christianity in the West. He singled out a case currently on appeal before the European Court of Human Rights which would require Italy to remove crucifixes from its public school classrooms.
He continued by calling for the upholding of the “right to conscientious objection” on the part of Christian health care workers, pharmacists and legal professionals, saying they should retain the right to refuse involvement in procedures that violate church teaching.
Also condemned were educational programs that want to "mandate obligatory participation in courses of sexual or civic education" with content opposed to Catholic teaching.
"I cannot remain silent about another attack on the religious freedom of families in certain European countries which mandate obligatory participation in courses of sexual or civic education," the pope said.
These courses "convey a neutral concept of the person and of life, yet in fact reflect an anthropology opposed to faith and to right reason."
He cited a situation in Spain where Church leaders and Catholic parents are objecting to an anti-Christian public school curriculum mandated by the Socialist government that presents homosexuality, divorce and abortion in a positive light.
Catholic education is also being "compromised or hampered by legislative proposals which risk creating a sort of state monopoly" in schools, particularly in Latin America, he said.
He went on to say that it is not permissible for Western nations to infringe on the freedom of conscience out of concern to uphold "other alleged new rights which, while actively promoted by certain sectors of society and inserted in national legislation or in international directives, are nonetheless merely an expression of selfish desires lacking a foundation in authentic human nature."
These "alleged new rights" include a woman's right to choose to have an abortion and the right of homosexual people to marry and adopt children.
While this is not the first time a Pope has decried religious intolerance in the world, this speech was "unusually focused," writes John Allen of the National Catholic Reporter who claims it reflects "a growing conviction in the Vatican that anti-Christian persecution around the world, sometimes referred to as 'Christianophobia,' is taking on epidemic proportions."
© All Rights Reserved, Living His Life Abundantly®/Women of Grace® http://www.womenofgrace.com
Benedict began his remarks by citing the plight of Christians in Iraq, where two-thirds of what was once the Middle East’s second-largest Christian population has vanished since the first Gulf War in 1991.
“Christians are original and authentic citizens” in the Middle East, he said, and they should “enjoy all the rights of freedom of conscience, freedom of worship and freedom of education, teaching and the use of the mass media.”
But it's not enough for governments to simply guarantee freedom of worship, he said. They must also respect freedom of conscience and stop discriminating against Christians in housing and employment and allow Muslims to convert to Christianity without the deadly consequences so often seen in these nations.
Communist nations such as China and Cuba were also criticized for their anti-Christian hostility in which “philosophical and political systems call for strict control, if not a monopoly, of the state over society.”
The Pope went on to warn about what he described as a growing tendency to “marginalize” Christianity in the West. He singled out a case currently on appeal before the European Court of Human Rights which would require Italy to remove crucifixes from its public school classrooms.
He continued by calling for the upholding of the “right to conscientious objection” on the part of Christian health care workers, pharmacists and legal professionals, saying they should retain the right to refuse involvement in procedures that violate church teaching.
Also condemned were educational programs that want to "mandate obligatory participation in courses of sexual or civic education" with content opposed to Catholic teaching.
"I cannot remain silent about another attack on the religious freedom of families in certain European countries which mandate obligatory participation in courses of sexual or civic education," the pope said.
These courses "convey a neutral concept of the person and of life, yet in fact reflect an anthropology opposed to faith and to right reason."
He cited a situation in Spain where Church leaders and Catholic parents are objecting to an anti-Christian public school curriculum mandated by the Socialist government that presents homosexuality, divorce and abortion in a positive light.
Catholic education is also being "compromised or hampered by legislative proposals which risk creating a sort of state monopoly" in schools, particularly in Latin America, he said.
He went on to say that it is not permissible for Western nations to infringe on the freedom of conscience out of concern to uphold "other alleged new rights which, while actively promoted by certain sectors of society and inserted in national legislation or in international directives, are nonetheless merely an expression of selfish desires lacking a foundation in authentic human nature."
These "alleged new rights" include a woman's right to choose to have an abortion and the right of homosexual people to marry and adopt children.
While this is not the first time a Pope has decried religious intolerance in the world, this speech was "unusually focused," writes John Allen of the National Catholic Reporter who claims it reflects "a growing conviction in the Vatican that anti-Christian persecution around the world, sometimes referred to as 'Christianophobia,' is taking on epidemic proportions."
© All Rights Reserved, Living His Life Abundantly®/Women of Grace® http://www.womenofgrace.com
