Media Misses the Point: Pope Says Have Concern for the Planet Yes, but a Greater Concern for Life

LifeSiteNews ^ | 7/26/07 | John-Henry Westen

[wagglebee]

ROME, July 26, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Pope Benedict XVI's question and answer session with Italian clergy Tuesday has been reported on by the world's media, noting mostly his references to evolution and care for the planet.  Most media have failed, however, to note that in his remarks on the necessity of care for the earth, the Pope explicitly noted the necessity of "absolute respect" for human life.

"We can all see today that man could destroy the foundation of his existence, the earth," he said.  "Therefore we can no longer just simply do whatever we want with this earth which has been entrusted to us."  We must, he said, "respect the inner laws of creation, of the earth, to learn these laws and obey these laws if we are to survive."

The Pope noted that this "obedience to the voice of the earth is more important for our future happiness than the voices of the moment, the desires of the moment."  He said, "our own planet speaks with us and we should be listening if we want to survive and decipher this message about the earth."

Immediately following this statement Pope Benedict added this line which is left out of most mainstream media coverage: "And if we should be obedient to the voice of the earth, much more we must be obedient to the voice of human life."

The Pope added: "We not only take care of the earth, but we must respect the other, other human beings...only in absolute respect of other (humans)...can we make progress."

Just as with Pope John Paul II's comments on evolution in 1996, the world media pounced on Pope Benedict XVI's comments regarding evolution made in the same dialogue with the priests Tuesday.  While many may mistakenly believe the Popes have endorsed evolutionary theory wholesale, that is not the case.

In fact, the Popes have consistently noted that evolution, while it may have portions of truth, is incomplete.  Pope Benedict stated as much in his homily at his inaugural Mass as Pope in 2005.  "We are not some casual and meaningless product of evolution," he said.  "Each of us is the result of a thought of God. Each of us is willed, each of us is loved, each of us is necessary." (see the full homily here: http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2005/apr/050425a.html )

In his remarks Tuesday, the Pope began his comments on evolution saying, "But the big problem is that if God is not present and is not the Creator of my life, in reality life is just a simple part of evolution, nothing else, it has no meaning in itself."

"I see right now in Germany and also in the United States quite an intense debate about so-called creationism and evolution, presented as if they were opposing views that exclude one another: he who believes in the Creator cannot consider evolution and he who instead affirms evolution must exclude God," he said.  "This false dichotomy is an absurdity, because on the one hand there are may scientific arguments in favour of evolution that seems to be a reality that we must recognize and which enriches our understanding of life and of being as such."

"But the theory of evolution does not answer all the questions," he continued, "and does not answer above all the great philosophical question: from where does everything come? And how does this whole thing take a path that finally leads to man?"

Reason, he said, "sees these facts, but it also sees that these facts are not sufficient for explaining all of reality. It is not sufficient."

"Our reason is greater, and can see that our reason itself is not fundamentally something irrational, a product of irrationality, but rather reason precedes everything, reason creates, and that we are really the image of that creative reason," he stated.

See the full text of the Q&A with the Pope (in Italian) here:

http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/speeches/2007...

[wagglebee]

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[Leftism is Mentally Deranged]

The media hate the Pope and will lie and distort everything that he says and does.

[netmilsmom]

Getting popcorn....

[part deux]

Getting popcorn....

More popcorn from yesterday's show. I figured the MSM left out something in the article from yesterday on the Pope's earth comment.

You are wise to get your popcorn waiting for the usual suspects who can't wait for any excuse to slam to Pope or the RCC. They hate the Pope or Church so much they will not even wait to read his actual words, but rely on MSM reporting as fact. Amazing!! This is the same MSM that they reject outright regarding their favorite topics like GWB or Israel. I don't listen to the MSM in either case.

I often wonder who provided the venom beverage that made these people this way? I don't know if it was upbringing or preacher Bob's weekly sermons?

[Salvation]

** but a Greater Concern for Life**

Most of the world gets it wrong in looking at other things than the Loss of Life.

[8mmMauser]

Pinged from Terri Dailies

8mm

[netmilsmom]

>>They hate the Pope or Church so much they will not even wait to read his actual words, but rely on MSM reporting as fact. Amazing!!<<

I can’t tell you how many people flipped me off after the last document came out with “BUT THE ARTICLE SAID....” Again and again I would come up with the direct quote and state, “So you listen to the MSM instead of the document itself?”

The smart ones then stopped replying and one young lady actually asked for a link to the document, read it and told me that other people are just slamming the Pope. God love her!

[MEGoody]

Gotta agree with the Pope on this - what’s the point of ‘preserving the earth’ if we keep allowing the wholesale murder of the children that are supposed to inherit it from us?

[Kevmo]

Sounds good to me

[part deux]

>>They hate the Pope or Church so much they will not even wait to read his actual words, but rely on MSM reporting as fact. Amazing!!<<

I can’t tell you how many people flipped me off after the last document came out with “BUT THE ARTICLE SAID....” Again and again I would come up with the direct quote and state, “So you listen to the MSM instead of the document itself?”

The smart ones then stopped replying and one young lady actually asked for a link to the document, read it and told me that other people are just slamming the Pope. God love her!

I believe you got an eyeful. I am contemplating bailing on FR relating to these topics. I don't think you can reach some groups at all. If they were to say this about Jews they would probably get arrested.

Imagine if these same people said how much they hated Jews or that all Rabbis steal or how grateful they are not being Jews or some other derogratory comment, etc. AND did this 24x7 - There would be quite an uproar.

[netmilsmom]

That’s being discussed here.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1870465/posts

[part deux]

Thanks