Pope urges religions, those with no church to ally for justice

[cbayer]

http://news.yahoo.com/pope-urges-religions-those-no-church-ally-justice-154731915.html

By Philip Pullella
VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis urged members of all religions and those belonging to no church on Wednesday to unite to defend justice, peace and the environment and not allow the value of a person to be reduced to "what he produces and what he consumes".

-snip-

While he said history had shown that any attempt to eliminate God had produced "much violence," he reached out to those who seek truth, goodness and beauty without belonging to any religion.

"They are our precious allies in the commitment to defend human dignity, build a more peaceful coexistence among people and protect nature with care," he said.

Francis' description of people who belong to no religion as "precious allies" in the search for truth was a marked contrast to the attitude of former Pope Benedict, who sometimes left non-Catholics feeling that he saw them as second-class believers.

more at link

[LanternWaste]

1. Although I'm not Catholic

Although I'm not Catholic, Pope Francis appears to be pushing for a much broader policy of inclusion and tolerance to combat poverty, which seems to be his priority nemesis.

Although it may simply be good PR and branding, on the other hand, it may not be...

[cbayer]

2. I'm feeling more optimistic the more I learn about him.

He could be fooling us, but I get the feeling he is sincere.

[pinto]

3. Early take - I think he's looking to make some changes in the enormous Vatican bureaucracy.

From his first homily - addressed specifically to cardinals and bishops - to his more recent broader comments, it seems he's setting some priorities. Or at least putting them on the table.

How it plays out remains to be seen.

He knows the world is watching, of course.

[cbayer]

4. I think the speculation that he was just going to be a place holder is looking

less and less likely. He really seems to be seizing the opportunity to reframe some very important issues.

[goldent]

5. You can say it is "PR" and that is understandable...

but part of being Pope is to be the voice of the Church. So what he says truly matters.

What I find interesting is that much/most of what the Pope has been saying is firmly part of the Catholic Social Doctrine (which is very well documented in text). But he chooses to emphasize it.

[goldent]

6. "They are our precious allies in the commitment to defend human dignity"

I like the phrase "human dignity" as used here. It is a great term, without religious connotation. I just checked in the
Catholic Social Doctrine and found that phrase is used 39 times (the word dignity itself is used 184 times). From that source:

A just society can become a reality only when it is based on the respect of the transcendent dignity of the human person. The person represents the ultimate end of society, by which it is ordered to the person: “Hence, the social order and its development must invariably work to the benefit of the human person, since the order of things is to be subordinate to the order of persons, and not the other way around”

[okasha]

7. Well,well.

It's beginning to look as though the Cardinals may have elected another John XXIII. I wonder if that's what they meant to do.

[Plantaganet]

8. I'm pretty sure they got what they wanted.

http://www.advocate.com/politics/religion/2013/03/20/pope-francis-called-civil-unions-lesser-two-evils

[cbayer]

9. Good question. I would hope that they knew exactly what they were doing, but

perhaps they thought he would be the quiet type, lol.