Posted on 01/19/2012 3:56:28 PM PST by NYer
VATICAN CITY, January 19, 2012 (LifeSiteNews.com) - In a meeting with various U.S. Bishops today, Pope Benedict XVI said that the consensus which once existed in America supporting “ethical principles deriving from nature and nature’s God,” has faded. “Today that consensus has eroded significantly in the face of powerful new cultural currents which are not only directly opposed to core moral teachings of the Judeo-Christian tradition, but increasingly hostile to Christianity as such,” he said.
The Pope was emphatic in insisting that the threat posed by current trends threatens not only Christianity but “humanity itself.” He said: “To the extent that some current cultural trends contain elements that would curtail the proclamation of these truths, whether constricting it within the limits of a merely scientific rationality, or suppressing it in the name of political power or majority rule, they represent a threat not just to Christian faith, but also to humanity itself and to the deepest truth about our being and ultimate vocation, our relationship to God.”
The Pope used strong language to describe the grave situation he perceives in America. “(I)t is imperative,” he said, “that the entire Catholic community in the United States come to realise the grave threats to the Church’s public moral witness presented by a radical secularism which finds increasing expression in the political and cultural spheres.” He continued, “The seriousness of these threats needs to be clearly appreciated at every level of ecclesial life.”
Pope Benedict pointed specifically to attempts to limit freedom of religion, and to “deny the right of conscientious objection on the part of Catholic individuals and institutions with regard to cooperation in intrinsically evil practices.“
The reference to “evil practices” would include Catholic adoption agencies being forced to allow homosexual adoptions, the Obama contraceptive mandate, and similar measures.
Pope Benedict, in sounding the alarm, called not for retreat, but for the leaders of the Catholic Church to press on with preaching the truth however unpopular. “For her part, the Church in the United States is called, in season and out of season, to proclaim a Gospel which not only proposes unchanging moral truths but proposes them precisely as the key to human happiness and social prospering,” he said. “With her long tradition of respect for the right relationship between faith and reason, the Church has a critical role to play in countering cultural currents which, on the basis of an extreme individualism, seek to promote notions of freedom detached from moral truth.”
The Pope’s full address can be read here.
Ping!
not exactly a shocking revelation
Quite a bit of hostility directed at Christians in the US is coming from WITHIN many Protestant Churches and especially Roman Catholic Parishes.
Too many lefty priest and ministers are embracing liberation theology as well as economic justice beliefs while at the same time marginalizing those with their Churches who disagree with them.
If you are a Christian who is pro-life,pro family and anti collectivist, you will be attacked by lay church members as well as the clergy.
Has he taken a look at our Muslim-in-Chief lately? Just sayin’
.
Actually the majority of Americans are not hostile towards the real religion of peace, but the media and the non-Constitutionalist Despot Politicians would have the public believe otherwise.
Evil never likes to be identified for what it is.
Very true. If you are “orthodox” you are viewed as a enemy.
In Illinois homosexuality is more important than children. The Pope is spot on. Unless Catholics come home and live their religion this terrible trend will continue. Only Catholics can turn things around in Illinois. They must reject the liberal tyranny over their fellow human beings.
Pope Benedict has a talent for dry understatement.
Yeah, Verily.
The Pope is exactly right—like usual. St. Thomas Aquinas aligned Catholic Theology with Natural Law Theory.
Natural Law Theory is the basis of our Constitution and is where the term inalienable rights and Natural Rights from God—comes from . Personal property rights stems from Natural Law and the freedom of conscience and religion. The concepts of the Creator goes way back before Christianity-—Cicero acknowledge God-given rights.
Marx and the Postmodernists threw out God and Natural Law Theory. John Austin was the rage in our universities—he rejected God Given Rights and Objective Truth and Natural Law theory. SO—it is UNCONSTITUTIONAL for our government to dump our Supreme Law of the land—The Constitution—just because some Marxist/Darwinist wants to redesign human beings to destroy the natural family and deny the natural rights of children to have a mother and a father-—proven to be the most perfect way to raise emotionally healthy children.
SO, the Pope is in line with our Constitution-—it is based on Natural Law Theory-—not on Stalin’s and Frank’s standards of Right and Wrong.
Our Laws are unjust when they are not in line with Natural Law and our Constitution-—we have not been vigilant —and allowed judges to make “null and void” law. We need to take our country back....start with the legal system.
Freep-mail me to get on or off my pro-life and Catholic List:
Please ping me to note-worthy Pro-Life or Catholic threads, or other threads of general interest.
Correct and agreed. Take a look at NDAA. Although, I thought there was a legal difference between unalienable and inalienable that’s now linguistically lost. One is a right you cannot give up even willfully. Do you know which one?
Our beloved Pope is always so clear, lucic and absolutely correct. What a MARVELOUS successor to St. Peter. We are so lucky, aren’t we?
True, and I'm glad he said it.
Only when Catholics return to orthodox belief and are an obvious united counterpoint to that fragmentation can this country turn around.
I really really have to snicker at this 'smoke'. But I sure won't get in your way as you fix all the damage done to US by Nanny the RED PEWlouise and saint in waiting Teddy Kennedy.
Yeah, it was all Ted Kennedy, ever since the First World War it's been Ted Kennedy all along.
I thought the 'wise' were to learn from history and NOT try and outdo and out spend and out mommy prior bad actors.
Under the workings (see bad works are also tabulated in Heaven as well as the good) of Nanny the (commie) Red 'religious' Pewlouise and that saint in waiting Kennedy, we have been enslaved with more debt than all previous bad acts of any other denomination.
Christ did say there would always be the 'poor' among US, but it was not until this bunch that I realized He was explaining WHY. Anyway according to my Catholic in-laws, unless you are stamped Catholic you are NOT Christian anyway. Strange to have supposed non-Christians as the standard to be measuring that supposed only Christian denomination.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.