(COMTEX) B: Pope Calls for Return to Christian Roots ( AP Online )
COLOGNE, Germany, Aug 22, 2005 (AP Online via COMTEX) -- Pope Benedict XVI
urged Europe to rediscover its Christian tradition and warned against rising
secularism as he concluded his first foreign trip with an open-air Mass for a
million people in his native Germany.
The four-day trip underlined interfaith relations - also a key theme of John
Paul II's papacy. Benedict visited a synagogue in which he won applause for his
warning about rising anti-Semitism, and he had a frank talk with Muslims about
terrorism.
"The very symbol of your presence on the pulpit of Northern Europe's oldest
synagogue - destroyed by some of your countrymen under the influence of a
murderous and morally bankrupt regime, and rebuilt by the hopes of a saving
remnant - demonstrates to the world that we can look to the future without
erasing the past," the head of the Anti-Defamation League, Abraham Foxman, wrote
in a letter to the pope after the visit.
The 78-year-old pope on Sunday called on the pilgrims attending the World Youth
Day Festival in Cologne to wisely use the freedom God gave them.
"Freedom is not simply about enjoying life in total autonomy, but rather about
living by the measure of truth and goodness so that we ourselves can become true
and good," he told the crowd.
The throngs from almost 200 countries had been invited to the festival by a
different pope, the charismatic John Paul, before his death April 2.
But they embraced his more subdued successor with the same huge turnout, shouts
and applause on his first foreign trip as pope.
"Beeen-e-DET-to, Beeen-e-DET-to," they chanted, using the Italian version of his
name. Some 800,000 of them spent the night in the Marienfeld, or Mary's Field,
outside Cologne, sleeping on the ground so they could attend Sunday's mass.
Benedict returned to Rome Sunday night.
The pope used his trip to make it clear that he intends to continue key parts of
John Paul's heritage. In particular, he held two important interfaith meetings
with Muslims and Jews. He became only the second pope in history to visit a
synagogue when he spoke to Cologne's Jewish community, winning a standing
ovation for his warning of rising anti-Semitism.
He made blunter statements during a meeting with Muslim officials, addressing
them as "my dear Muslim friends" but raising the issue of terrorism, which he
called "cruel fanaticism."
The head of Germany's Muslim Community, Nadeem Elyas, who met with the pope,
said the discussions were "constructive." He welcomed Benedict's comments that
terrorism was a common problem of all religions, and not specifically an issue
of Islam.
At the same time, though, he acknowledged that "the pope is not a magician. It
is up to us to take the next steps."
It was clear that the pope was establishing his own style. There were none of
John Paul II's theatrical gestures such as kissing the ground on arrival or
shuffling to the music. Instead, he read his speeches slowly in a soft voice and
waved and smiled shyly at the loud applause that greeted him every time he came
out in public.
He expressed serious concern on another of his favorite themes, the need to
evangelize a Europe that has become increasingly secular despite its centuries
of Christian belief - although the huge turnout for the Sunday Mass was evidence
that the church still retains its hold over many people's hearts.
"Some young Germans, especially in the East, have never had a personal encounter
with the good news of Jesus Christ," he said.
Benedict's visit was also his first homecoming as pope to his native country. He
was born in Marktl Am Inn in Bavaria, and said in his farewell remarks at the
airport that he hoped people had seen another Germany to counter the shameful
memory of Nazi rule and World War II.
"During these days, thanks be to God, it has become quite evident that there was
and is another Germany, a land of singular human, cultural and spiritual
resources," he said.
During his closing homily at the Mass, he said there is a "strange forgetfulness
of God," while at same time the sense of frustration and dissatisfaction has led
to a "new explosion of religion."
"I have no wish to discredit all the manifestations of this phenomenon. There
may be sincere joy in the discovery," he said. "Yet, if it is pushed too far,
religion becomes almost a consumer product. People choose what they like, and
some are even able to make a profit from it."
By MELISSA EDDY
Associated Press Writer
Copyright 2005 Associated Press, All rights reserved
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*** end of story ***
[F6 note -- in this instance in particular, after reading this post it is worth going back and taking a look at at least 3 or 4 levels of the prior posts -- I trust the 'spiritual' fascist Ratzinger/Benedict quite enjoyed his 'Hitler Youth Revival' . . .]
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