| Topic: |
Religions > Atheism |
| User: |
"johac" |
| Date: |
09 Oct 2004 03:41:33 AM |
| Object: |
More wisdom from the Pope. This time on church and state. |
The old guy's on a roll this week:
---
Pope Urges Public Displays of Faith
Fri Oct 8, 8:31 PM ET
By FRANCES D'EMILIO, Associated Press Writer
VATICAN CITY - Pope John Paul (news - web sites) II exhorted Christians
on Friday to display signs of their faith more forcefully, contending
the practice neither infringes on separation of church and state nor
breeds intolerance.
His comments appeared to be a clear reference to raging debates over
laws such as France's recent ban on wearing Islamic headscarves, Jewish
skull caps or large Christian crosses in schools.
In Italy, a Muslim activist's efforts last year to remove crucifixes
from public school classrooms stirred widespread resentment in the
overwhelmingly Roman Catholic country.
In a 31-page letter focused on the central role of Holy Communion in the
life of Catholics, the pope kept up his campaign to invigorate the faith
of followers.
"May there be more commitment, on the part of Christians, to give
witness with more force to the presence of God in the world," John Paul
wrote. "Let's not be afraid to speak of God and to carry on high the
signs of faith."
"Those who contend that public reference to faith can infringe the
rightful autonomy of the state and civil institutions or that it can
even encourage attitudes of intolerance are wrong," he said.
John Paul's letter marked the start this month of the Church's Year of
the Eucharist. Catholics believe that Christ is present in flesh and
blood in Communion.
There is vigorous debate in the Church over divorced Catholics who want
to receive Communion after they remarry in defiance of Church teaching.
Several U.S. bishops have said they would deny Communion to Catholic
politicians whose stands on issues like abortion and gay marriage run
counter to the Vatican (news - web sites)'s positions.
The pontiff touched on the sensitive issue, reinforcing the Vatican's
insistence that the faithful adhere to Church teaching to be able to
receive Communion.
"The special intimacy which is achieved in Eucharistic Communion cannot
be adequately understood or fully lived outside ecclesial communion,"
the pope wrote, without wading into any specific controversies.
Earlier this year, the Vatican issued a directive clamping down on such
abuses during Mass as non-Catholics taking Communion. At the time, a top
Vatican official, Cardinal Francis Arinze, said priests must deny
Communion to Catholic politicians who support abortion rights.
Vatican officials, including Arinze, didn't say what implications the
pope's letter could have for Catholic politicians.
In Paris, the Foreign Ministry noted France was not named in the pope's
letter and said there were no tensions with the Vatican over the new
law, which bans the wearing of conspicuous religious signs in public
schools.
Late last year, a court in Italy revoked a judge's order to have a
crucifix removed from a public school. An Islamic activist whose sons
went to the elementary school had sought to have the cross removed. A
1924 Italian law says schools must display the crucifix.
---
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20041009/ap_on_re_eu/vatican_
religious_symbols_2
--
John Hachmann aa #1782
-The ability to change one's mind, ideas, and opinions when confronted with
new facts is the sign of the rational and intelligent. The inability to do
so is the hallmark of the dimwitted and the fanatic. This applies not only
to science and philosophy, but also to politics.-
.
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