On French riots, Pope sounds like the Kerner Commission

View From the Right ^ | December 22, 2005 | Lawrence Auster

[rmlew]

According to an AP story at the French Yahoo website, Pope Benedict has been making fatally naïve, classically deluded, liberal-style comments about the meaning and “message” of the Muslim riots in France, namely that the riots express a “dissastisfaction” with society that society must do something about. Why can’t the Pope understand that the riots are not an expression of dissatisfaction with France, but an expression of emnity toward France, not a plea for better “integration” in France, but a scream in the face that no integration is possible?

And when will Christians understand that unless the Church stands with this civilization against its mortal enemies, the civilization and the Church will die together?

Many thanks to our VFR French expert who once again has provided us with an excellent English translation.

Benedict XVI comments again on the urban riots and calls upon France to thank her immigrant workers.

Vatican City (AP)—Benedict XVI returned on Monday to the topic of the urban riots in France that have challenged us “to take into consideration the demands of young people”.

The Pope emphasized the importance of “thanking” the immigrant workers and their descendants who have become for the most part full-fledged Frenchmen.

The sovereign pontiff received a visit on Monday morning from the new French ambassador to the Holy See, Bernard Kessedjian. He took the occasion to recall that France had recently “lived through a difficult period socially, one which brought to light the profound dissatisfaction of part of its youth.”

“Internal violence, which marks societies and which one cannot but condemn, serves nevertheless as a message, especially from the young, urging us to take their demands into consideration”, emphasized Benedict XVI.

“Your country has welcomed a large number of foreign workers and their families, who have greatly contributed to the development of your nation since the end of the Second World War”, he added. “Today it is important to thank them, and their descendants, for the economic, cultural and social wealth in which they have participated. Most of them have thus become full-fledged French citizens.”

For Benedict XVI, “the challenge today is to live by the values of equality and fraternity (...) taking care that all citizens, while respecting legitimate differences, are able to forge a genuine common culture that bears fundamental moral and spiritual values.”

“It is also important to propose to the young both an ideal of society and a personal ideal”, he added. “The final word is that your country is being called upon to take additional measures toward the integration of everyone into society. The same is true of other nations on the Continent, and this in the name of the intrinsic dignity of each person that is central in our society.” “Social peace comes about, to a great extent, at this price”, he concluded.

Benedict XVI expressed the wish that “very special” attention be paid to the “institution of marriage and family” that plays an “irreplaceable role in the education of the young”. “In order to do this, it must be assisted and sustained, so that it does not abandon its educational mission, leaving young people to their own devices”, the Pope stressed.

[Tax-chick]

Of course it has a thick sugar coating of diplomacy on it.

That's definitely true ... but there's a suggestion of a dig at secular amorality there at the end, too.

I agree with you - people are not going to "assimilate" unless the new culture is clearly better than what they've got. I certainly don't want the life modern Europe holds up as ideal.

[mhx]

I'm looking for a report on the story that hasn't been "filtered" by the opinion of the Associated Press, so we can see more of the context. If anyone finds one please post it here.

[mhx]

His full remarks in French are here. http://peres-blancs.cef.fr/misna133.htm Admittedly, there's not a lot more context, so I could be off base in my interpretation -- it doesn't look like the AP really thrashed the story too badly.

[Proud_USA_Republican]

I agree. Paul II kissed muslim savage ass in Nigeria, never spoke out about christian churches being burned and christians being murderd simply because they are christians all over the middle-east.

[Rockingham]

Me too. And perhaps even worse is the Pope's appointment of gay supportive clergy to posts in Rome and San Francisco. I fear that post-Vatican II institutional malaise, drift, and self-deception may yet kill the Church.

[Clemenza]

Otto Kerner was a co-Ethnic of Benedict XVI, although a Lutheran I believe.

Here's hoping that Papa Ratzi doesn't share any of Otto's other proclivity for graft.