Flashback: Pope Benedict criticizes E.U. for excluding God on anniversary (and Merkel agreed!)

Pope Benedict strongly criticized the European Union on Saturday for excluding a mention of God and Europe’s Christian roots in declarations marking the 50th anniversary of its founding.

Pope Benedict warned the bloc was headed up a slippery slope of indifference and said it could not deny its “historical, cultural and moral identity” that Christianity helped forge.

In a toughly-worded speech to European bishops, Benedict said Europe was committing a form of “apostasy of itself” and was thus doubting its own identity.

The Pope, who like his predecessor John Paul often calls for a mention of God and Christianity in the European Constitution, said leaders could not exclude values that helped forge the “very soul” of the continent.

“If on the 50th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome the governments of the union want to get closer to their citizens, how can they exclude an element as essential to the identity of Europe as Christianity, in which the vast majority of its people continue to identify,” he said.

“Does not this unique form of apostasy of itself, even before God, lead it (Europe) to doubt its very identity?”

One of the Pope’s compatriots, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, aims to relaunch the EU constitution and last month made a plea for the bloc to include references to Christian roots.

Comments from Merkel, the daughter of a pastor, have encouraged religious leaders around Europe to redouble efforts to modify the constitution.

Plans to include such a reference in the original EU treaty, rejected by French and Dutch voters in 2005, were blocked by French President Jacques Chirac.

Worth repeating again and again:

"Pope Benedict strongly criticized the European Union on Saturday for excluding a mention of God and Europe’s Christian roots in declarations marking the 50th anniversary of its founding.
Pope Benedict warned the bloc was headed up a slippery slope of indifference and said it could not deny its “historical, cultural and moral identity” that Christianity helped forge.
In a toughly-worded speech to European bishops, Benedict said Europe was committing a form of “apostasy of itself” and was thus doubting its own identity.
The Pope, who like his predecessor John Paul often calls for a mention of God and Christianity in the European Constitution, said leaders could not exclude values that helped forge the “very soul” of the continent. “If on the 50th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome the governments of the union want to get closer to their citizens, how can they exclude an element as essential to the identity of Europe as Christianity, in which the vast majority of its people continue to identify,” he said.
“Does not this unique form of apostasy of itself, even before God, lead it (Europe) to doubt its very identity?”

Much the same could be said of the 20th and 21st Century obliteration of the Judeo Christian roots of the American experiment in liberty which culminated in the Declaration of Independence's philosophical assertions, along with the 1787 Constitution of the U. S. of America.

God bless Pope Benedict. Both he and St. John Paul II warned the West against denying God’s affirmation and respect for the things of God.

https://cruxnow.com/analysis/2016/09/12/anniversary-can-finally-catch-benedicts-point-regensburg/

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.