Benedict XVI and why I love the Church - By Michael Withers -
Why I defend why I love Benedict XVI and the Church
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Michael Withers
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Monday, November 8, 2010 - 1 Kislev 5771
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Most recently, at the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela (Saint-Jacques de Compostela) , then the - now - Church of the Sagrada Familia (Holy Family) in Barcelona, Benedict XVI, speaking to Catholic Compostela, stated (excerpts): "The beauty (sacred architecture) is the great need of man . (...) It is tragic that in Europe during the 19th century, is affirmed and upheld the conviction was that God is man's rival and enemy of freedom. (...) It is necessary that God begins to resonate happily under the skies of Europe. (...) Be careful to take care of God and man, that's what the Church wants to bring to Europe. "
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In reality - and that it was I who added - Europe is living a lie. Europe is heavily loaded with Islamic circles, the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC). Europe is afraid of Muslim terrorism. Europe is afraid of losing Arab oil. Europe is afraid of its own suburbs. And one day, Europe will pay dearly his own fears.
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To back to the pope, citing most recently Antonio Gaudi, architect Christian, designer of the Church of the Sagrada Familia, Benedict XVI, speaking this time in Barcelona to Catholics, stressed the importance of reconciliation between reason and faith: "He (Gaudi) realized what is now one of the most important tasks: overcoming the split between human consciousness and Christian conscience, between existence in this temporal world and openness to life eternal, between the beautiful things and God is Beauty. (...) The consecration of this church of the Sagrada Familia (church made by Pope Benedict XVI), at a time when the man claims to build his life by turning back to God, as if he had nothing more to say, is an event of great significance. For his work, Gaudi shows us that God is the true measure of man, the secret of true originality consists, as he said, to return to the original which is God, "said Benedict XVI.
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In this regard, I recall that Christian anthropology (ie, Christian philosophy and theology Catholic combined in the study of the human person), this anthropology is essentially shaped by those whom the Church calls the sacred and holy. With, for example, St. John the Evangelist, St. Bernard, St. Catherine of Siena and St. Thomas Aquinas, Catholics have all the literature necessary to see that Catholic primary, Christianity comes from Judaism, and second, that contrary Judaism and Christianity, both from the Bible, Islam, himself, from his birth in the 7th century, is derived from that of Muhammad and the Koran.
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Even an atheist and agnostic are able to see that Muhammad and the Koran can not hold a candle to the Bible, the prophets of Israel ankle, ankle and David his psalms, ankle writings of St. John the Evangelist, St. Bernard, St. Catherine of Siena and St. Thomas Aquinas. In fact, whether you are a believer or not, intelligence is enough to note that the Quran is a book rather paltry in comparison to the Bible and compared the writings of the saints.
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It is true that part of the Catholic clergy, particularly in France and the Middle East, seems to have a degree of culture, knowledge, faith and intelligence level is very limited degree be heavily infested by the desire to please - at any price - to all Muslims.
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Regarding Benedict XVI, he would take me a long article trying to explain, even briefly, his thoughts and position. I think on the merits, Benedict XVI is aware of the disaster announced getting ready with Islamist ideology. Apart from that, apart from its strictly theological and philosophical writings, what the Pope says and reads, is often written by others than himself, by other members of the Roman Curia. Because the pope is asked 10 times a day, 7 days 7 to get someone and say a few words.
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In summary, we must distinguish between dogmatic and pastoral. For example, Vatican II was pastoral, not dogmatic. Interesting detail: the most important piece of dogmatic Catholic, the "Credo", the "I believe in God." However, this Creed does not say anything that comes out of Catholicism. What I mean by that is that about Judeophobe Islamophiles and does not hold water at a philosophical level. For the "Credo" did not request or reject the Jews or to embrace the Mohammedan. In fact, a Catholic philosophical perspective, the Jewish people participated and will participate until the end of time the divine plan. The saints have said and written. Those who say otherwise, and those Judeophobe Islamophiles are just idiots.
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Still about Benedict XVI, in a nutshell, here's what I know (or understand), and furthermore my "flair" (or what remains of it) allows me to write: 1 - Benedict XVI's priority is unity. One can love or not. But he chose the unit. With whom? With all Catholics (he has a job there). With the Greek Orthodox (not won). With the Anglicans (not win either). With this, it is true that friendship toward the Jews, not happening before, but after the unit I have to explain. 2 - Friendship with Jews, in theory, it is nice as hell. In practice, there is still a very long way to go and on this blog, that way I did and I will continue. There are currents in the Church of anti-Zionist left and current right-wing anti-Semites. And amidst all this, there is Benedict XVI.
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I know - from my sources - currently, the Vatican, or rather in its staff, it's a little can of worms with the "pro-this" and "anti-that."
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And not because his staff is sometimes deficient that I will cease to love the Church.
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I suppose or imagine that Benedict XVI is trying to focus on the priority mentioned in my No. 1, namely the unity between Christians. I do not know how Benedict XVI, who is no longer young and never imagined that one day the poor, he would be pope (he wanted to retire from his brother in his homeland, Bavaria) I do not know how Benedict XVI, I wrote, happens to keep going, day after day, when his entourage keeps saying "it would be like this" or "should do it like that", "should take a step towards Muslims", "should make a step towards the Palestinians "," should take a step towards the Martians "and gnagnagna.
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In my case, I always wanted - and I still want - to extend the work of the ideas in the context of an anthropology Jewish Christian-free society. Of the free society, as opposed to companies totalitarian and authoritarian, that they are fascist, national socialist, communist or Islamist.
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In this anthropological framework Judeo-Christian, I remember, for example, that upon his arrival Monday, May 11, 2009, at Ben Gurion , near the Israeli city of Tel Aviv, Benedict XVI had said immediately at the foot of the plane on the tarmac: "The Jewish people have tragically experienced the terrible consequences of ideologies that deny the fundamental dignity of every human person. It is right and fitting that during my stay in Israel, I will have the opportunity to honor the memory of six million Jewish Holocaust victims and to pray that humanity will never again witness to a crime such a scale. Unfortunately, anti-Semitism continues to raise its head in many parts of our world. This is totally unacceptable. Every effort should be made to combat anti-Semitism wherever it occurs. "
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Here what Benedict XVI had declared May 11, 2009, barely arrived at Ben Gurion. But our media - of course - had not relayed that as Benedict XVI had said. In contrast, our media had bitter cons about other (albeit different, and even for some of them inappropriate) held by Benedict XVI during his visit to Israel in May 2009.
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But the bottom line for Catholics, should - normally - lie elsewhere. The bottom line for Catholics, should - normally - be, first, in the beginning, and secondly, in eschatology, in the ultimate fate of the human person and the ultimate fate of the Universe. Concerning the origin, St. Bernard, speaking of Christians from Judaism, wrote that "the branches (Christians) should not be ungrateful to the root (Judaism), the classes do not compete in the root sap that 'they take her. " Specifically, the Church recognizes the link that connects Catholics to Judaism. With Saint Bernard Church demand even Catholics, I quote St. Bernard, not creatures ungrateful and Jews to remember that Judaism is that Christians keep their faith in the sap.
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The Catholic Church has recognized and still recognize, by texts, that the beginnings of the Catholic faith are found in the patriarchs, to Moses and in the prophets. St. John the Evangelist wrote that "salvation is of the Jews." It is, moreover, why I firmly believe, on eschatology, on the fate ultimate human being and the universe that God has one people, Christians from Israel and the Nations. God will judge the world and the Church in the same way that the world and the Church have ruled Israel. And it is not ours to judge for ourselves what form anthropological, God has one people, Christians from Israel and the Nations, in the eschatological time.
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But let the eschatological time and return to the present. The world goes wrong. It needs unity. If someone wants proselytizing and evangelism, I suggest, before any other form of evangelism, to pray and do his job. Because since he is pope, Ratzinger recalled on numerous occasions that evangelism is primarily through work and prayer, and not primarily through use of the word or the writing (at least to be a journalist, essayist and writer, is not it ...). The rhetoric (I'm referring to the professional talkers and not referring to Benedict XVI, but I guess that almost everyone had understood ...) the rhetoric, I wrote, it does not work that time. After people get tired and leave disappointed.
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And if we want to ecumenism, I propose to increase with the Jews. Rather than planting with Muslims in the hollow chatter that Muslims themselves describe as hollow chatter. Currently, Islam is not willing to dialogue in faith and reason. Islam today is even totally unable to combine faith and reason. The hysterical reaction to about - yet purely historical - Benedict XVI at the University of Regensburg testified. Moreover, Benedict XVI reiterated, Jordan, in 2009, his invitation to Muslims, invitation to combine faith and reason. On this point, the discourse in Jordan in 2009 did not differ from the Regensburg speech and did not differ either speech to the College of Bernardine.
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I do not care that there is more than a billion Muslims and only a few million Jews on earth. This is not a sufficient reason to favor dialogue with Islam at the expense of dialogue with Judaism. In the medium and long term, Judeo-Christian friendship that will shield against radical Islamists, Hamas, Hezbollah, Fatah, Al-Qaeda, Ahmadinejad, the Taliban. Household radical Islamism is a calculation in the short term. A calculation that we will create nothing but trouble. Besides, for dialogue with Muslims, I note that at this stage, the European Union does not enter into dialogue with Muslim intellectuals reformers (though they are hundreds and they are still waiting for our opening dialogue ...). For now, the EU prefers dialogue with the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) and Arab League.
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As for the anti-Zionism (which I played extensively in my youth ...), including anti-Zionism French Catholic (I could not avoid it in this article entitled "Why I defend why I love Benedict XVI and the Church"), it is a hateful ideology that cloaks itself in the so-called defense of human rights. If France is not anti-Semitic why not prove it does not in his actions? It's easy to remember the Holocaust while denying the Jews a land, a little more consistent, that ridiculous piece of territory that they currently have (firstly, the Israeli town of Netanya on the Mediterranean is only 12 km from the Arab town of Tulkarm, therefore within reach of rockets, shells and missiles of Fatah, secondo, historic Palestine, as evidenced by ad-hoc documents, includes Jordan and thirdly, the first division plan gave the Jews all Israel there including Judea and Samaria).
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In this regard, I recall, once again, here, Israel withdrew from Sinai. Israel withdrew from southern Lebanon. Israel withdrew from Gaza. Result: The Sinai is a transit point for weapons that end up in Gaza. The Gaza Strip is an Islamic republic: the Hamastan. Lebanon, or rather the Hezbollistan, is an enclave dominated by the Iranian Foreign Legion and mercenary Hezbollah. Judea and Samaria are dominated by clan militias and family by armed militias of Hamas and Fatah's armed militia. The Palestinian Authority of Mahmoud Abbas in Judea and Samaria - specifically in the field - in terms of authority, it's bullshit mafia.
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In conclusion, I note that when we dare to simply defend the free society and secular Judeo-Christian, left, extreme left, the extreme-right and the Islamists accuse us of advocating the superiority of Western civilization (I personally always says "free and secular Judeo-Christian" and not "Western civilization"). This intellectual terrorism, against us, from left, extreme left, extreme right-wing and Islamist remains for me boggles the mind. We defend the free society and secular culture of Judeo-Christian. And our opponents speak of the superiority of our civilization. Do they not know we read correctly? Or did they just an inferiority complex, accompanied by a self-hatred in the service of a culture of death?
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