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Why the Holy Father chose the name "Benedict"...?
QueenOfPeace.Ca ^ | April 12, 2005 | Zenit.org

Posted on 04/19/2005 11:56:55 AM PDT by MadIvan

Cardinal Ratzinger on the Banishment of God From Public Life

Receives St. Benedict Award for Promotion of Life and Family

SUBIACO, Italy, APRIL 12, 2005 (Zenit.org).- Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger says that believers are faced with the tendency to banish God from public life and confine him to the "subjective realm of past residual cultures."

On April 1, when receiving the St. Benedict Award for the Promotion of Life and the Family in Europe, conferred by the Subiaco Foundation for Life and the Family, the dean of the College of Cardinals delivered an address on the present crisis of culture and identity, especially in the Old World.

After stating that "moral force has not grown apace with the development of science but, on the contrary, has diminished," Cardinal Ratzinger explained that "the most serious danger at this time is precisely the imbalance between technical possibilities and moral energy."

He gave two examples: the threat of terrorism and the possibility to manipulate the origin of human life.

The then prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith—almost all heads of Vatican dicasteries lost their posts when John Paul II died— pointed out that "Europe has developed a culture that, in a way previously unknown to humanity, excludes God from the public consciousness, either by denying him altogether or by judging that his existence cannot be demonstrated, is uncertain and, therefore, somewhat irrelevant to public life."

An attempt is being made "to build the human community absolutely without God," the cardinal stressed.

"The rejection of reference to God is not an expression of tolerance which wishes to protect non-theist religions and the dignity of atheists and agnostics, but rather an expression of the desire to see God banished definitively from humanity's public life, and driven into the subjective realm of residual cultures of the past," he warned.

For the cardinal, the starting point of this view is "relativism," which has become "a dogmatism that believes it is in possession of the definitive knowledge of reason, and with the right to regard all the rest as a stage of humanity, which has basically been surpassed, and which can be suitably relativized."

At this rate, Cardinal Ratzinger added, we will no longer "be able to affirm that homosexuality, as the Catholic Church teaches, is an objective disorder of the structure of human existence."

"The fact that the Church is convinced of not having the right to confer priestly ordination on women, is now considered by some as irreconcilable with the European Constitution," he added.

In the final part of his address, Cardinal Ratzinger explained that "we need roots to survive and we must not lose them from sight if we do not want human dignity to disappear."

"Only creative reason, which has been manifested in the crucified God as love, can really show us the way," he said. "We need men who will keep their sight on God, learning there" what "true humanity" is, as "only through men touched by God, can God again be close to men." ZE05041102


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Extended News; Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: benedict; benedictxvi; pope; ratzinger; secularism
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To: Sonny M
Not exactly "evil," but yes, my sympathies would be with the loyalists.
141 posted on 04/19/2005 2:19:35 PM PDT by royalcello
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To: biblewonk
Everyone should know what the rock is. It isn't Peter.
I'm sure you've seen this post before, but evidently it needs repeating...
Grammatically speaking, petra in Mt16:18 cannot refer to anything but petros. (Citations used below are from the following reference works: (1) A Greek Grammar of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, DeBrunner (tr. Funk), University of Chicago Press (“Grammar”); (2) A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, Arndt & Gingrich, University of Chicago Press (“Lexicon”))
1. petros
"Hellenization of Semitic personal names.... By translation." Cf. Jn1:42 – “you will be called Kephas, which means Peter.” (Grammar, 53(2e)). The name Peter is a Hellenization by translation of Kephas.

“The use of the article with personal names is varied; as a general rule ... the absence of the article merely names him.” (Lexicon, o, h, to, II.b.) Note that there is no article before petros in Mt16:18. In this part of the verse, Jesus is merely giving Peter his new name.
2. kai
Epexegetical kai ... Emphatic with demonstrative ...” (Grammar 442/9.) Note the demonstrative adjective tauth, a contraction for th auth. So the sentence that follows kai is epexegetical of “You are Peter.” This epexegetical use of kai is reinforced by the following: “Kai with the future ... is used to denote a further result” (Grammar, 442(3)). Note the use of the future: “I will build my church”. The building of the church is a further result of the name change. (See also, Lexicon, kai, 3 ("Other explicative uses are kai tauto ... ").)
3. tauth.
o auto: An idiom composed of two words with one meaning: “same”. This word modifies petra. What same rock? There is only one other word in the verse with the base petr-, and that is petros. (Note: A Greek noun comprises two parts: a base that indicates basic meaning, and an ending that indicates grammatical gender (among other things). Although there is not necessarily a correspondence between a noun's grammatical gender and a thing's actual sex (e.g., petra is feminine gender, even though a rock is sexless), the gender of a personal name virtually always corresponds with the person’s sex (e.g., petros is masculine gender, just as Peter is a man).)
4. th:
"In its individualizing use it focuses attention on a single thing or concept as already known or more definitely limited: things and persons that are unique in kind. " (Lexicon, o, ei, to, II.a.) Thus, petra is preceded by the article th to indicate it is already known (compare with petros, above, which is not preceded by a definite article). Moreover, when combined with the demonstrative adjective tauth (same), the definite article becomes emphatic (the very same rock).
Summary: We know that petra refers to petros because (1) the demonstrative adjective and definite article that modify petra indicate that the identity of the rock is known; (2) petra and petros share the same base and thus the same basic meaning; and (3) the sentence following kai is epexegetical of the sentence that precedes kai, the further result being that Jesus will build his church on the very same rock.

142 posted on 04/19/2005 2:19:45 PM PDT by eastsider
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To: MadIvan

I hope this means that we will not be seeing him kiss the Koran in the future.


143 posted on 04/19/2005 2:20:39 PM PDT by Netizen (USA - Land of the free, home of the brave, where the handicapped are legally starved and dehydrated!)
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To: biblewonk

"It isn't Peter."
I belive you are incorrect. It IS Peter. In Psalms, the only ONE referred to as "rock" was God. By changing Simon's name to Peter, Jesus was saying, "from now on Simon, you are me", meaning that Simon Peter had authority and that the Church was established by Christ but rested and was built on the authority of Peter.


144 posted on 04/19/2005 2:23:59 PM PDT by Warrior_Queen ("The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for good people to do nothing")
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To: Arguss

He got an awrd from them but is not one of them. You are reaching to force that fulfillment!


145 posted on 04/19/2005 2:24:16 PM PDT by Netizen (USA - Land of the free, home of the brave, where the handicapped are legally starved and dehydrated!)
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To: MadIvan
The Holy Spirit...

has been very busy...prayer ping for (now double his birth weight) Malachi.

146 posted on 04/19/2005 2:25:52 PM PDT by Dutchgirl (God is a physician,...suffering is a medicine for salvation, not a punishment for damnation." August)
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To: eastsider

I was intending to paraphrase Scott Hahn but I stand very impressed with your post!


147 posted on 04/19/2005 2:29:07 PM PDT by Warrior_Queen ("The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for good people to do nothing")
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To: Canticle_of_Deborah
Ratzinger is a Benedictine???!! How did we miss this??

Sure seems like this type of info would have come out when everyone was investigating the top contenders.

148 posted on 04/19/2005 2:30:32 PM PDT by Netizen (USA - Land of the free, home of the brave, where the handicapped are legally starved and dehydrated!)
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To: royalcello
but yes, my sympathies would be with the loyalists.

Then those "true conservatives" were true to tyranny, I'd rather be a patriotic conservative, then be thought a traitor to the country for the love of the crown.

Conservatives should never support crowns, the founding fathers were the founders of the right wing of this country today, and for that I'm greatfull.

Its a shame this country has not done enough to get rid of monarchies the world over, the founding fathers would no doubt be displeased.

149 posted on 04/19/2005 2:36:47 PM PDT by Sonny M ("oderint dum metuant")
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To: Warrior_Queen

Thanks. I did the research several years ago to refute the repeated assertion that Peter is not "the rock" of Mt16:18. What better day to trot it out again than the election-day of Peter's successor, Benedict XVI!


150 posted on 04/19/2005 2:39:23 PM PDT by eastsider
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To: MadIvan; stm

The Pope is 78....He was FORCED into Hitler Youth in 1943, and deserted the German Army in 1945...that was when he was 16 and 18 years old respectively!!! Geesh....you would think he was running the gas chambers.


151 posted on 04/19/2005 2:41:39 PM PDT by Ann Archy (Abortion: The Human Sacrifice to the god of Convenience.)
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To: N. Theknow

Just check out a Catholic Mass....just once or twice....and make sure it isn't on a CAMPUS!


152 posted on 04/19/2005 2:43:18 PM PDT by Ann Archy (Abortion: The Human Sacrifice to the god of Convenience.)
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To: MediaMole
"There is no tolerance on the left."

I am not so sure it is even a lack of tolerance. I think it is a sign they are scared to death. The liberals see someone of the highest moral character in a position of great influence and they see it as a very real threat to their principles of relativism and secularism.

We see it every single day in their treatment of President Bush.
153 posted on 04/19/2005 2:47:10 PM PDT by stm
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To: ValenB4
"WWI was not a matter of Good vs. Evil. It was a nonideological war and both sides were exhausting each other to the point that they couldn't continue and a negotiated settlement was inevitable had we stayed out. It's unfair ending set the stage for Hitler and Stalin. What a triumph."

What a straw man argument.

I said, and it is verifiably true, that WW1 required U.S. intervention to end its stalemate.

You're off on a tangent. I spoke of no such Good vs Evil points regarding that first war, though a few could be made.

154 posted on 04/19/2005 2:48:14 PM PDT by Southack (Media Bias means that Castro won't be punished for Cuban war crimes against Black Angolans in Africa)
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To: Netizen

He's not a Benedictine as far as I have seen. I don't think he's an order priest.


155 posted on 04/19/2005 2:49:14 PM PDT by Knitting A Conundrum (Act Justly, Love Mercy, and Walk Humbly With God Micah 6:8)
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To: N. Theknow
Why am I still an Episcopalian?

Padded Pews??? :)

156 posted on 04/19/2005 2:49:51 PM PDT by Ann Archy (Abortion: The Human Sacrifice to the god of Convenience.)
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To: Ann Archy

Pain is your friend. It builds character!!!!!


157 posted on 04/19/2005 2:51:43 PM PDT by stm
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To: royalcello
"I'm with ValenB4. Without the evil Wilson's interference, the war probably would have ended either with a German/Austrian outright victory or a negotiated settlement prior to November 1918 as desired by Pope Benedict XV."

Nonsense. Quite to the contrary, U.S. forces were required to end both WW1 and WW2 stalemates (Germany could not conquer Britain, Britain could not beat Germany).

Moreover, after the U.S. ended the first stalemate, the Europeans started up the whole nonsensical affair again a mere few short years after U.S. troops left Europe.

After we ended their second round of senseless war, we chose to keep our troops in Europe rather than bring them home; where they remain today (and as long as they've been there, the major European powers have behaved themselves).

158 posted on 04/19/2005 2:52:57 PM PDT by Southack (Media Bias means that Castro won't be punished for Cuban war crimes against Black Angolans in Africa)
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To: MadIvan
Well, I guessed Benedict XVI on another thread for good reason ( and also with the help of St. Malachy ). Reading this and comparing with the new pope, I suspect Gloria Olivae may apply ( despite not being of the Benedictine order ):

"In drawing up its regulations, we hope to set down nothing harsh, nothing burdensome. The good of all concerned, however, may prompt us to a little strictness in order to amend faults and to safeguard love. Do not be daunted immediately by fear and run away from the road that leads to salvation. It is bound to be narrow at the outset. But as we progress in this way of life and in faith, we shall run on the path of God's commandments, our hearts overflowing with the inexpressible delight of love. Never swerving from his instructions, then, but faithfully observing his teaching in the monastery until death, we shall through patience share in the sufferings of Christ that we may deserve also to share in his kingdom. Amen." ( From the Rule of St. Benedict )

More info here: St. Benedict

159 posted on 04/19/2005 2:55:06 PM PDT by Tench_Coxe
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To: massgopguy

You said....Tonight on MSNBC Michael Newdow bursts into flames!!! LOL!! BUT....Spitting Chrissy Matthews will put him out!


160 posted on 04/19/2005 2:57:03 PM PDT by Ann Archy (Abortion: The Human Sacrifice to the god of Convenience.)
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