Post by RedFlag32 on May 14, 2007 12:07:21 GMT
Pope assails Marxism and capitalism
Pope Benedict XVI blamed both Marxism and unbridled capitalism for
Latin America's problems on Sunday, urging bishops to mold a new
generation of Roman Catholic leaders in politics to reverse the
church's declining influence in the region.
Before boarding a plane for Rome at the end of a five-day trip to the
most populous Catholic nation in the world, Benedict also warned that
legalized contraception and abortion in Latin America threaten "the
future of the peoples" and said the historic Catholic identity of the
region is under assault.
Like his predecessor
Pope John Paul II, Benedict criticized capitalism's negative effects
as well as the Marxist influences that have motivated some grass-roots
Catholic activists.
"The Marxist system, where it found its way into government, not only
left a sad heritage of economic and ecological destruction, but also a
painful destruction of the human spirit," he said in his opening
address at a two-week bishops' conference in Brazil's holiest shrine
city aimed at re-energizing the church's influence in Latin America.
Touching on a sensitive historical episode, Benedict said Latin
American Indians had been "silently longing" to become Christians when
Spanish and Portuguese conquerors took over their native lands
centuries ago.
"In effect, the proclamation of Jesus and of his Gospel did not at any
point involve an alienation of the pre-Columbus cultures, nor was it
the imposition of a foreign culture," he said.
Many Indians, however, say the conquest of Latin America by Catholic
Spaniards and Portuguese lead to misery, enslavement and death.
The pope also warned of unfettered modern-day capitalism and
globalization, blamed by many in Latin America for a deep divide
between the rich and poor. The pope said it could give "rise to a
worrying degradation of personal dignity through drugs, alcohol and
deceptive illusions of happiness."
Benedict, speaking in Spanish and Portuguese to the bishops, also said
Latin America needs more dedicated Catholics in leadership positions
in politics, the media and at universities. He also said the church's
leaders must halt a trend that has seen millions of Catholics turn
into born-again Protestants or simply stop going to church.
While Brazil is home to more than 120 million of the world's 1.1
billion Catholics, the census shows that people calling themselves
Catholics fell to 74 percent in 2000 from 89 percent in 1980. Those
calling themselves evangelical Protestants rose to 15 percent from 7
percent.
"It is true that one can detect a certain weakening of Christian life
in society overall," Benedict said, blaming secularism, hedonism and
proselytizers for other sects.
In Aparecida and at events earlier this week in Sao Paulo that
attracted more than 1 million people, Benedict roundly denounced
immorality in a bid to counter the rising tide of Latin Americans
flouting the church's prohibition on premarital sex and divorce.
Now, he said, the bishops must convince Catholics from all walks of
life "to bring the light of the Gospel into public life, into culture,
economics and politics."
Benedict did not name any countries in his criticism of capitalism and
Marxism, but Latin America has become deeply divided in recent years
amid a sharp political tilt to the left — with the election of leftist
leaders in Bolivia, Ecuador and Nicaragua and the overwhelming
re-election in Venezuela of President Hugo Chavez, an avowed socialist.
Other countries, such as Brazil, have center-left leaders who have
come under heavy criticism for embracing free market economic policies
that have widened the rift between rich and poor.
Benedict called the institution of the family "one of the most
important treasures of Latin American countries," but said it is
threatened by legislation and government policies opposed to marriage,
contraception and abortion.
Mexico City lawmakers recently legalized abortion and gay civil
unions, and the Brazilian government routinely hands out millions of
free condoms to prevent
AIDS.
Before addressing the bishops, Benedict said Mass before 150,000
faithful in front of the mammoth basilica of Aparecida, home to the
nation's patron saint, a black Virgin Mary. As hundreds of choir
members sang hymns and people waved flags from all over South America,
the pope called the region the "continent of hope" and said the
bishops must be "courageous and effective missionaries" to ensure the
strength of the church.
But the turnout fell far short of the 400,000 to 500,000 worshippers
local organizers hoped would show up for Benedict's last big public
event of the papal tour, his longest since becoming pope two years ago.
The 80-year-old pope also said the church needs to work harder to get
its message across on the Internet, radio and television — methods
used effectively by Protestant congregations attracting legions of
followers, particularly in the vast slums ringing Brazil's largest cities.
Waiting to catch a glimpse of the pope at Aparecida's basilica,
68-year-old Maria Costa said Brazilians needed to hear his message and
she hoped his trip would revitalize the church.
"Catholics weren't feeling very good with the Church, and that's why
so many were leaving," she said. "I think that could change now. Let's
hope so."
Pope Benedict XVI blamed both Marxism and unbridled capitalism for
Latin America's problems on Sunday, urging bishops to mold a new
generation of Roman Catholic leaders in politics to reverse the
church's declining influence in the region.
Before boarding a plane for Rome at the end of a five-day trip to the
most populous Catholic nation in the world, Benedict also warned that
legalized contraception and abortion in Latin America threaten "the
future of the peoples" and said the historic Catholic identity of the
region is under assault.
Like his predecessor
Pope John Paul II, Benedict criticized capitalism's negative effects
as well as the Marxist influences that have motivated some grass-roots
Catholic activists.
"The Marxist system, where it found its way into government, not only
left a sad heritage of economic and ecological destruction, but also a
painful destruction of the human spirit," he said in his opening
address at a two-week bishops' conference in Brazil's holiest shrine
city aimed at re-energizing the church's influence in Latin America.
Touching on a sensitive historical episode, Benedict said Latin
American Indians had been "silently longing" to become Christians when
Spanish and Portuguese conquerors took over their native lands
centuries ago.
"In effect, the proclamation of Jesus and of his Gospel did not at any
point involve an alienation of the pre-Columbus cultures, nor was it
the imposition of a foreign culture," he said.
Many Indians, however, say the conquest of Latin America by Catholic
Spaniards and Portuguese lead to misery, enslavement and death.
The pope also warned of unfettered modern-day capitalism and
globalization, blamed by many in Latin America for a deep divide
between the rich and poor. The pope said it could give "rise to a
worrying degradation of personal dignity through drugs, alcohol and
deceptive illusions of happiness."
Benedict, speaking in Spanish and Portuguese to the bishops, also said
Latin America needs more dedicated Catholics in leadership positions
in politics, the media and at universities. He also said the church's
leaders must halt a trend that has seen millions of Catholics turn
into born-again Protestants or simply stop going to church.
While Brazil is home to more than 120 million of the world's 1.1
billion Catholics, the census shows that people calling themselves
Catholics fell to 74 percent in 2000 from 89 percent in 1980. Those
calling themselves evangelical Protestants rose to 15 percent from 7
percent.
"It is true that one can detect a certain weakening of Christian life
in society overall," Benedict said, blaming secularism, hedonism and
proselytizers for other sects.
In Aparecida and at events earlier this week in Sao Paulo that
attracted more than 1 million people, Benedict roundly denounced
immorality in a bid to counter the rising tide of Latin Americans
flouting the church's prohibition on premarital sex and divorce.
Now, he said, the bishops must convince Catholics from all walks of
life "to bring the light of the Gospel into public life, into culture,
economics and politics."
Benedict did not name any countries in his criticism of capitalism and
Marxism, but Latin America has become deeply divided in recent years
amid a sharp political tilt to the left — with the election of leftist
leaders in Bolivia, Ecuador and Nicaragua and the overwhelming
re-election in Venezuela of President Hugo Chavez, an avowed socialist.
Other countries, such as Brazil, have center-left leaders who have
come under heavy criticism for embracing free market economic policies
that have widened the rift between rich and poor.
Benedict called the institution of the family "one of the most
important treasures of Latin American countries," but said it is
threatened by legislation and government policies opposed to marriage,
contraception and abortion.
Mexico City lawmakers recently legalized abortion and gay civil
unions, and the Brazilian government routinely hands out millions of
free condoms to prevent
AIDS.
Before addressing the bishops, Benedict said Mass before 150,000
faithful in front of the mammoth basilica of Aparecida, home to the
nation's patron saint, a black Virgin Mary. As hundreds of choir
members sang hymns and people waved flags from all over South America,
the pope called the region the "continent of hope" and said the
bishops must be "courageous and effective missionaries" to ensure the
strength of the church.
But the turnout fell far short of the 400,000 to 500,000 worshippers
local organizers hoped would show up for Benedict's last big public
event of the papal tour, his longest since becoming pope two years ago.
The 80-year-old pope also said the church needs to work harder to get
its message across on the Internet, radio and television — methods
used effectively by Protestant congregations attracting legions of
followers, particularly in the vast slums ringing Brazil's largest cities.
Waiting to catch a glimpse of the pope at Aparecida's basilica,
68-year-old Maria Costa said Brazilians needed to hear his message and
she hoped his trip would revitalize the church.
"Catholics weren't feeling very good with the Church, and that's why
so many were leaving," she said. "I think that could change now. Let's
hope so."
