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Pope Benedict XVI arrives for the closing Mass of World Youth Day at Marienfeld, near Cologne, Germany, Aug. 21. The Mass in the former mining area was attended by more than 1 million pilgrims.
Pope, in world spotlight, outlines his priorities, style of emerging papacy By John Thavis COLOGNE, Germany (CNS) — On a trip he inherited from his predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI stepped into the world spotlight and outlined the priorities and the style of his emerging papacy. To young people gathered for World Youth Day in Cologne, Germany, the pope brought an intensely spiritual message during his Aug. 18-21 visit, telling them that living their faith and imitating the saints were the only ways to transform the world. That seemed to make a connection with many young people in Cologne. In the words of one young U.S. pilgrim, youths came for religious inspiration, and they got it. To bishops in his native country, where secularism has put down deep roots, he called for new efforts to stem the decline in church influence, but said it must be done without “watering down” the Gospel. That was a point he echoed in remarks to civil authorities, reminding them that Germany, in the heart of Europe, remained “indelibly” marked by Christian traditions that are still valid today. The pope’s com-
ments underscored what is shaping up as a primary goal of his papacy, re-evangelizing Europe. On the dialogue front, Pope Benedict made Pope John Paul II’s agenda his own — but with a few different points of emphasis.
Pope’s address
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In a historic visit to Cologne’s synagogue, the pope eloquently highlighted the common religious heritage shared by Christians and Jews. He also condemned the Holocaust, but without revisiting the church’s self-criticism on the issue; he blamed Nazi ideology on “neopaganism” and stayed away from the question of the moral failures of German Christians. To Muslims, he delivered an unusually tough condemnation of terrorism, stressing the need for Islamic leaders to educate their own youths in tolerance. Pope John Paul condemned terrorism many times, too. But the late pope also said it should “never be forgotten that situations of oppression and exclusion are often at the source of violence and terrorism” — something not mentioned in Pope Benedict’s speech.
In the land that gave birth to the Reformation, the pope’s comments to Protestant and Orthodox leaders were highly anticipated. His audience was pleased at three things he said: openness to a “unity in multiplicity” approach, flexibility on the future of papal ministry and, above all, his renewed pledge to make ecumenism a real priority of his papacy. But the pope also used language to indicate that an ecumenical leap was not imminent. He counseled patience and realism and emphasized that “there can be no dialogue at the expense of truth.” And he introduced a theme he is likely to develop further in his pontificate: that Christian churches today need to offer a much more united voice on modern ethical issues. Beyond the finely tuned positions in his speeches, Pope Benedict’s way of being pope also took shape more clearly in Germany. Most striking was his determination to avoid personalizing the papacy — in contrast, many would say, with his predecessor. The examples were obvious. In his meeting with Jews, he never once spoke about his personal experiences in EMERGING PAPACY, page 6
INSIDE THIS WEEK’S EDITION On the Street . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Gala Farewell Dinner
News-in-brief
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August 26, 2005
Scripture and reflection
World class speakers . . . . . 7
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Datebook . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Taizé founder mourned . . . 8 Columnists. . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Book reviews. . . . . . . . . . . 18 Classified ads . . . . . . . . . . 19
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