Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran says Muslims have brought debate about religion into the public sphere Posted on 11/28/2008 3:54:27 PM PST by BGHater
The Vatican has thanked Muslims for bringing God back into the public sphere in Europe.
Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, head of the Catholic Church's department for interfaith contacts, said religion was now talked and written about more than ever before in today's Europe.
'It's thanks to the Muslims,' he said in a speech printed in Friday's L'Osservatore Romano, the official daily of the Vatican.
'Muslims, having become a significant minority in Europe, were the ones who demanded space for God in society.'
Vatican officials have long bemoaned the secularisation of Europe, where church attendance has dwindled dramatically in recent decades, and urged a return to its historically Christian roots.
But Tauran said no society had only one faith.
'We live in multicultural and multi-religious societies, that's obvious,' he told a meeting of Catholic theologians in Naples.
'There is no civilisation that is religiously pure.'
Tauran's positive speech on interfaith dialogue came after a remark by Pope Benedict prompted media speculation that the Vatican was losing interest in it.
Some Jewish leaders reacted with expressions of concern and the Vatican denied any change.
Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran says Muslims have brought debate about religion into the public sphere
The Vatican has thanked Muslims for bringing God back into the public sphere in Europe.
Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, head of the Catholic Church's department for interfaith contacts, said religion was now talked and written about more than ever before in today's Europe.
'It's thanks to the Muslims,' he said in a speech printed in Friday's L'Osservatore Romano, the official daily of the Vatican.
'Muslims, having become a significant minority in Europe, were the ones who demanded space for God in society.'
Religious debate: Muslim women protested against the French government's plan to ban Islamic head scarves from schools in 2004
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
BGHater,
Is there a reason why you’ve posted this twice in just a few hours?
Previous thread posting: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2139662/posts
Ohhhhh, I see. Same story, different source. That makes so much difference.
Yeah.
What an idiot. The islam-o-pigs are bringing allah, not God. Cardinal dumass won’t last long in a muzzie regime.
Gosh, not enough venom on your first posting?
BTW, reading the news reports of what the Vatican says and does is like reading the news reports of what President Bush says and does.
Previous was Reuters, people were upset that it was Reuters.
Don’t take things out of context.
this lends credence to jordanmaxwell.com
What context?
OK, folks, Pope Benedict XVI is neither stupid nor naive.
Read between the lines: the Vatican is thanking Muslims for re-awakening an awareness among Europeans that Islam is not their friend.
Benedict has not forgotten that sword “presented” to him by the Mufti of Swat or whatever. He knows the score.
‘Muslims, having become a significant minority in Europe, were the ones who demanded space for God in society.’
*****
Well, they’re certainly demanding more space but it’s also just as certainly the wrong god. Unfortunately, I doubt the Euros will make the distinction.
Most people will not understand that, because Cardinal Tauran doesn’t use emoticons & tags when he speaks.
He expects his audience to understand his words and tone.
That is what I thought he meant too.
Looks the same almost word-for-word to me.
Looks like they subscribe to Reuters and put their own byline on it.
If not, Reuters has a good lawsuit.
Me too. Good thread.
“...canon law as legislation of the state.”
Do you have any idea what Canon Law is and what it governs?
Ah, you’re spitting up Kool-Aid all over your self there buddy.
I agree with the Cardinal that Muslims have brought "God" back into the public sphere. But I doubt that will make any difference to the apathetic Christians in Europe. They cannot connect the dots; they could not pour sand out of a boot with the instructions written on the heel.
Only after they have been placed under Sharia Law will they begin to realize why, if then. Our nations have been dumbed-down by two generations of affirmative action, and repeated implementation of failed liberal policies.
Too bad people don’t know the difference between God and Allah.
You wrote:
“Not a Kool-Aid drinker, but there’s plenty of “there” there to make a reasonable observer uneasy. For instance, the Vatican responding to the Rushdie Affair and the Danish cartoon contoversy chiefly by criticizing Rushdie and the cartoonists, with just a bit of half-hearted mumbling about free expression.”
Because the Church has never assumed responsibility was separate from freedom. I fully agree that the Danes had a right to publish “blasphemous” cartoons, but to do it just to make a point about “freedom” is dumb. Where was prudence in all of this? I don’t think Danes, or Rushdie, or anyone should be too quick to blaspheme any religion.
“It makes sense. When the Roman Catholic was in a position to punish blasphemers and heretics (or get state actors to do the work), it did so zealously.”
Not really. What was the punishment from an ecclesiastical court of blasphemy? Do you even know?
“So if European Muslims reintroduce mandatory respect for anything religious, why should it not please the more extreme elements in other religious communities?”
Oh, so now someone who doesn’t want to see Jesus blasphemed is an extremist? So, if I oppose the play called Corpus Christi, which portrays Christ having sex with the Apostles, I’m an extremist? Would I be really extremist to want such a play banned? How about pornography? Should we have pornography on regular TV at 7:00 PM?
“Anyhow, I see no reason to try and read between the lines of those Vatican statements praising Muslims — sounder to take them at face value. I realize that may bring pain to my Catholic brothers and sisters, but in the end, I think one can accept with some serenity the fact that there is no such thing as a perfect institution — even if it be a church.”
And who is claiming that the Church is perfect? Anyone? Also, it is always best to interpret statements (from anyone) in light of common sense knowledge of that person or what he represents. Your “face value” understanding might be as shallow as your thinking.
Yes, the “Sharia Method To Catholic Theocracy” plot.
Drat, you’ve figured us out.
“Inter-religious dialogue rallies all who are on the path to God or to the Absolute.”—Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran
I’m glad I don’t have to provide cover for this person!. There isn’t even a hint of this “inter-religious” garbage in the Scriptures. Elijah first taunted, then massacred the false prophets. John the Baptist called the religious leaders of his day snakes! Jesus said He was the Way (and every other way was not).
This ecumenical stuff becomes counterproductive at some point, methinks. After all, the Catholic church doesn’t exist to promote “religion,” it exists to promote the Catholic religion.
As I said in your prior post, the Cardinal’s statement was deliberately vague. Pope Benedict’s stance on Islam is already known. (And unappreciated by Muslims).
Catholic religion=Christianity
The point of the Pope and the Church’s position is to drag Islam into a debate on reason and religion with the common ground that religion is not irrational.
And, therefore, that Islam - as promoted by Islamofacism - is irrational.
It is to engage the battle for the future on religious grounds and not terrorism.
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