Pope Benedict Pins Economic Crisis On 'Crisis Of Faith' In His Christmas Speech To The Roman Curia

Pope Benedict Pins Economic Crisis On 'Crisis Of Faith' In His Christmas Speech To The Roman Curia:

'via Blog this'

Pope certifies miracles for two U.S. saints - The Washington Post

Pope certifies miracles for two U.S. saints - The Washington Post:

'via Blog this'

Pope Benedict XVI’s peace message calls for wealth redistribution - The Washington Post:

By Francis X. Rocca, Religion News Service, Friday, December 16

VATICAN CITY — Noting a “rising sense of frustration” at the worldwide economic recession, Pope Benedict XVI said that a more just and peaceful world requires “adequate mechanisms for the redistribution of wealth." 

The pope’s words appeared in his message for the World Day of Peace 2012, released on Friday (Dec. 16) at the Vatican.

The message laments that “some currents of modern culture, built upon rationalist and individualist economic principles, have cut off the concept of justice from its transcendent roots, detaching it from charity and solidarity.”

Authentic education, Benedict writes, teaches the proper use of freedom with “respect for oneself and others, including those whose way of being and living differs greatly from one’s own.”

Peace-making requires education not only in the values of compassion and solidarity, but in the importance of wealth redistribution, the “promotion of growth, cooperation for development and conflict resolution,” Benedict writes.

The pope also calls on political leaders to “ensure that no one is ever denied access to education.”

The message was presented on Friday by officials of the Vatican’s Pontifical Council of Justice and Peace. The same body published a controversial document in October blaming the world’s economic and financial crisis on an “economic liberalism that spurns rules and controls,” and calling for global regulation of the financial industry and the international money supply.

© The Washington Post Company

CNS STORY: Rocca to succeed Thavis as chief of CNS bureau in Rome

CNS STORY: Rocca to succeed Thavis as chief of CNS bureau in Rome:

'via Blog this'

Nun on verge of becoming Hawaii’s second saint - The Washington Post

Nun on verge of becoming Hawaii’s second saint - The Washington Post:

'via Blog this'

European Life: Playing the Name Game in Italy - WSJ.com

European Life: Playing the Name Game in Italy - WSJ.com:

'via Blog this'

Pope: Others should be held to same abuse ‘standards’ - The Washington Post

Pope: Others should be held to same abuse ‘standards’ - The Washington Post:

'via Blog this'

Pope Benedict XVI calls for ‘reconciliation’ in Africa - The Washington Post

Pope Benedict XVI calls for ‘reconciliation’ in Africa - The Washington Post:

'via Blog this'

Boston’s Cardinal Bernard Law retires from prominent post - The Washington Post

Boston’s Cardinal Bernard Law retires from prominent post - The Washington Post:

VATICAN CITY — Nine years after the clerical sex abuse scandal forced his resignation as archbishop of Boston, Cardinal Bernard F. Law has stepped down from his controversial post as head of a prominent basilica in Rome.

'via Blog this'

Pope Benedict XVI begins second trip to Africa - The Washington Post

Pope Benedict XVI begins second trip to Africa - The Washington Post:

'via Blog this'

Links to some of my recent articles

In the Wall Street Journal:

Leonardo and Michelangelo drawings in Rome WSJ 17 Nov
L'Avventura: Riding Public Transport in Rome WSJ 3 Nov
Pope Benedict's Interfaith Outreach  WSJ 28 Oct


In USAToday:

Benetton pulls pope-kissing ad USATODAY 16 Nov


In the Huffington Post:

Pope's pilgrimage to the heart of Voodoo huffingtonpost 15 Nov
Ireland Closes Embassy To The Vatican huffingtonpost 4 Nov
Msgr. Scicluna: Catholic Parents Have 'Duty' To Report Abuse huffingtonpost 4 Nov
At Assisi Interfaith Summit 2011, Prayer Is Optional huffingtonpost 29 Oct

In the Washington Post:

Benetton pulls pope-kissing ad  The Washington Post 16 Nov
Pope to make second trip to Africa The Washington Post 14 Nov

L.A. Archbishop blasts "nativism"

Ouch. Archbishop José Gomez of Los Angeles minces no words here:

Unfortunately, today we hear ideas like Huntington’s being repeated on cable TV and talk radio — and sometimes even by some of our political leaders.
There is no denying significant differences between Hispanic-Catholic and Anglo-Protestant cultural assumptions.
But my point is that this kind of bigoted thinking stems from an incomplete understanding of American history. Historically, both cultures have a rightful claim to a place in our national “story” — and in the formation of an authentic American identity and national character. 

(Via RCL)

UNDER CONSTRUCTION

I have not begun regularly posting to this blog. Please email me at fxrocca@gmail.com and I will alert you once I begin to do so. Many thanks for your interest.

Croatia-bound (cont'd)

The Blessed Alojzije Stepinac, whom Pope Benedict will honor in Zagreb on Sunday, certainly has his defenders, who say that he saved Jews and protested the persecution of Serbs during World War II.

But if this report from 1998 is any indication, Benedict should expect his weekend visit to stir up some Balkan tensions.

UPDATE: The Serbian Orthodox Patriarch Irinej said in April that Benedict's visit to Stepinac's tomb could "cast a shadow" over Catholic-Orthodox relations. Considering Benedict's zeal for reconciling East and West, that would seem to make it even more likely that he will address the historical controversies surrounding Stepinac and the Ustashi.

Croatia-bound

Pope Benedict goes to Croatia this weekend, where it's possible that he will somehow refer to the Ustashi, the local brand of fascists, who under the Nazis did their bit to kill Jews, Muslims and Serbs.

Given that a fanatical Catholicism was a basic component of the Ustashi ideology, and given the pope's own tangles with Nazism, it might seem odd if he doesn't address this ugly part of the country's history in some way.


On Sunday afternoon, Benedict will pray before the tomb of the Blessed Alojzije Stepinac, the WWII-era archbishop of Zagreb, who was beatified by Pope John Paul II as a martyr to the Communists, but whom Orthodox Serbs accuse of having been an Ustashi sympathizer.


According to the Tablet, a Croatian Catholic bishop has told a German radio station that Serbian Orthodox bishops have written to the pope protesting his visit to Zagreb.