bollogs@hotmail.com

wrote:

Secular forces 'pushing God to margins'
By Bruce Johnston in Milan and Jonathan Petre
(Filed: 20/11/2004)

A leading contender to become the next Pope launched a fierce attack on the
forces of secularism yesterday, arguing that they were fostering

intolerance in

Europe and forcing Christianity underground.

Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, 77, one of the Vatican's most powerful figures,
issued a rallying cry to the faithful, saying that the liberal consensus

had

now evolved into a "worrying and aggressive" ideology.


Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger
As a result, "Catholic and Christian religion" had been pushed out of the
public debate and was being "driven into the margins".

The warning, in a long interview in La Repubblica, Italy's Left-leaning
newspaper, comes as the Bavarian-born cardinal, who is the Pope's doctrinal
chief, is being viewed as an important late entry for the papacy.

Coming shortly after MEPs refused to approve the Italian politician Rocco
Buttiglione as European justice commissioner because of his strong Catholic
views on gays and women, his statements may be seen by some as something of

a

manifesto.

The cardinal was speaking against a backdrop of rapidly declining priestly
vocations in Europe which is worrying Church leaders.

Describing the development of a "secular ideological aggression" across the
continent as "cause for concern," the cardinal said: "In Sweden, a

Protestant

minister who preached about homosexuality on the basis of an excerpt from

the

scriptures was put in jail for a month.

"Secularism is no longer that element of neutrality, which opens up space

for

freedom for all. It is beginning to change into an ideology which, through
politics, is being imposed.

"It concedes no public space to the Catholic and Christian vision, which as

a

result runs the risk of turning into a purely private matter, so that deep

down

it is no longer the same.

"In this sense a struggle exists and so we must defend religious freedom
against an ideology which is held up as if it were the only voice of
rationality, when instead it is only an expression of a 'certain'
rationialism."

In contemporary society, said the cardinal, who is the Prefect of the
Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, God had been pushed "very much

into

the margins".

"In politics, it seems to be almost indecent to speak about God, almost as

it

were an attack on the freedom of someone who doesn't believe," he said.

The cardinal added: "A secularism which is just, is a freedom of religion.

The

state does not impose a religion, but rather provides free space to those
religions with a responsibility to civil society."

The society in which we now lived was one where there was a great deal of
transformation.

"Negative birth rates and immigration are changing Europe's ethnic make-up.
Above all we've gone from being a Christian culture to one of aggressive
secularism which at times is intolerant."

He said that even though "churches were emptying" and people were "no

longer

able to believe," Christian faith was "not dead".

He said he remained convinced of hope's inner strength, even if the future

of

the Church lay more in "other continents" than Europe.

Cardinal Ratzinger, once viewed as the likely papal "kingmaker", is now
believed to stand a good chance himself precisely because of his advanced
years.

Vatican watchers maintain that long-serving popes tend to be succeeded by
short-lived "interim" papacies.

Despite his arch-conservative popular image, the cardinal often reveals a
frankness and readiness to discuss even the most delicate subjects. .

He admitted that the gulf between the Church and its faithful over

sexuality

was a matter for "further reflection".

He said that the Pill had "separated sexuality from fertility and so has

deeply

changed the concept of life itself.

"The sexual act has lost its meaning and purpose. . . to the point that all
kinds of sexuality have become the equivalents of each other. The main
consequence is the placing of homosexuality and heterosexuality on equal
terms."

They're losing their power over the populace and they're worried...so
what *****-em! They've held people back for centuries. If they had
anything to offer then they wouldn't be losing members. They made
their bed, now let them lay in it!

WH

Look at the good man expressing his anger at the Church.

Way to go Mr. Terrorist Supporter.

Tony

woodswun@tepidmail.com

bollogs@hotmail.com (bollogs) wrote:

tonyz2001@aol.com (TonyZ2001) wrote in message
news:<20041120102825.11588.00001032@mb-m29.aol.com>...

Secular forces 'pushing God to margins'
By Bruce Johnston in Milan and Jonathan Petre
(Filed: 20/11/2004)

A leading contender to become the next Pope launched a fierce attack on

the

forces of secularism yesterday, arguing that they were fostering

intolerance

in

Europe and forcing Christianity underground.

Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, 77, one of the Vatican's most powerful figures,
issued a rallying cry to the faithful, saying that the liberal consensus

had

now evolved into a "worrying and aggressive" ideology.


Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger
As a result, "Catholic and Christian religion" had been pushed out of the
public debate and was being "driven into the margins".

The warning, in a long interview in La Repubblica, Italy's Left-leaning
newspaper, comes as the Bavarian-born cardinal, who is the Pope's

doctrinal

chief, is being viewed as an important late entry for the papacy.

Coming shortly after MEPs refused to approve the Italian politician Rocco
Buttiglione as European justice commissioner because of his strong

Catholic

views on gays and women, his statements may be seen by some as something

of a

manifesto.

The cardinal was speaking against a backdrop of rapidly declining priestly
vocations in Europe which is worrying Church leaders.

Describing the development of a "secular ideological aggression" across

the

continent as "cause for concern," the cardinal said: "In Sweden, a

Protestant

minister who preached about homosexuality on the basis of an excerpt from

the

scriptures was put in jail for a month.

"Secularism is no longer that element of neutrality, which opens up space

for

freedom for all. It is beginning to change into an ideology which, through
politics, is being imposed.

"It concedes no public space to the Catholic and Christian vision, which

as a

result runs the risk of turning into a purely private matter, so that deep

down

it is no longer the same.

"In this sense a struggle exists and so we must defend religious freedom
against an ideology which is held up as if it were the only voice of
rationality, when instead it is only an expression of a 'certain'
rationialism."

In contemporary society, said the cardinal, who is the Prefect of the
Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, God had been pushed "very much

into

the margins".

"In politics, it seems to be almost indecent to speak about God, almost as

it

were an attack on the freedom of someone who doesn't believe," he said.

The cardinal added: "A secularism which is just, is a freedom of religion.

The

state does not impose a religion, but rather provides free space to those
religions with a responsibility to civil society."

The society in which we now lived was one where there was a great deal of
transformation.

"Negative birth rates and immigration are changing Europe's ethnic

make-up.

Above all we've gone from being a Christian culture to one of aggressive
secularism which at times is intolerant."

He said that even though "churches were emptying" and people were "no

longer

able to believe," Christian faith was "not dead".

He said he remained convinced of hope's inner strength, even if the future

of

the Church lay more in "other continents" than Europe.

Cardinal Ratzinger, once viewed as the likely papal "kingmaker", is now
believed to stand a good chance himself precisely because of his advanced
years.

Vatican watchers maintain that long-serving popes tend to be succeeded by
short-lived "interim" papacies.

Despite his arch-conservative popular image, the cardinal often reveals a
frankness and readiness to discuss even the most delicate subjects. .

He admitted that the gulf between the Church and its faithful over

sexuality

was a matter for "further reflection".

He said that the Pill had "separated sexuality from fertility and so has

deeply

changed the concept of life itself.

"The sexual act has lost its meaning and purpose. . . to the point that

all

kinds of sexuality have become the equivalents of each other. The main
consequence is the placing of homosexuality and heterosexuality on equal
terms."

They're losing their power over the populace and they're worried...so
what *****-em! They've held people back for centuries. If they had
anything to offer then they wouldn't be losing members. They made
their bed, now let them lay in it!

And they can expect to lose even more >people if they select someone with that
kind of attitude to the papacy. It wasn't >secular society who covered up the
sexual abuse of little boys by priests - it >was the Church.

Indeed, it was that very secular society >who not only allowed these victims

Woods

mithril@iafrica.com (Grantland)

wrote:

These fuckups should stick to fucking little boys up the *****. Fucking
sicko freaks! ***** the Church!

Grantland

There's that "good person" speaking his mind again.

Some small minds will find his post to be "funny".

Tony