Catholic san Francisco
Pope John Paul II
Shepherd to the World:
Northern California’s Weekly Catholic Newspaper
Historic Papacy Marks 25 Years
(CNS FILE PHOTO)
Pope John Paul II greets a throng of people gathered for Mass near the Caracas airport in Venezuela in 1996. In 25 years, the pontiff has logged more than 700,000 travel miles visiting 129 countries.
By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service VATICAN CITY (CNS) — While governments should not have a religious identity, they weaken democracy if they try to limit their citizens’ expressions of faith to the private sphere, Pope John Paul II said. “While respecting a healthy sense of the state’s secular nature, the positive role of believers in public life should be recognized,” the pope said Oct. 10 during a meeting with the parliamentary assembly of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. Some 330 parliamentarians from 49 countries were in Rome for the assembly’s Oct. 9-10 conference on the freedom of religion.
Pope John Paul told the group, “It is true that many young people today grow up without being aware of the spiritual heritage that is theirs.” But, at the same time, he said, religious faith continues to influence large groups of citizens who have a right to bring their religious and moral values to bear on public life. When believers are free to express their faith and when they respect the religious beliefs of others, a “healthy pluralism” and an increase in democracy follow, he said. “When states are disciplined and balanced in the expression of their secular nature, dialogue between the different social sectors is fostered and, consequently, WEAKER DEMOCRACY, page 18
(CNS FILE PHOTO BY ARTURO MARI)
Democracy weaker if excluded from public life, pope says
Pope John Paul II soon after his election in 1978.
INSIDE THIS WEEK’S EDITION Church in politics . . . . . . . . 3
News-in-brief Iranian lawyer wins Nobel Peace prize ~ Page 5 ~
Oct. 19 beatification of Mother Teresa at St. Peter’s Basilica
Fall Fest. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
~ Page 9 ~
Movie reviews . . . . . . . . . . 22
History on TV . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Pope John Paul II . . . . . 10-15 Datebook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
www.catholic-sf.org Ocotber 17, 2003
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VOLUME 5
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No. 33