An interesting letter from the Pope Emeritus:
Benedict XVI
Pope emeritus
Vatican City
15 April 2017
Distinguished Mr. President of the Republic of Poland!
Eminences and Excellencies!
Honorable Ladies and Gentlemen!
With great and profound emotion, gratitude and joy, I learned the news that, on the occasion of my 90th birthday, with the honorary patronage of the President of the Republic of Poland, high representatives of the state and ecclesial authorities of Poland will meet for a scientific conference on the theme: “The concept of the State in the perspective of the teaching of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger / Benedict XVI”.
The chosen theme brings together state and ecclesial authorities to dialogue about an essential question for the future of our Continent. The clash between radically atheistic conceptions of the State and the emergence of a radically religious state in the Islamist movements, leads our time into an explosive situation, the consequences of which we experience every day. These radicalisms urgently demand that we develop a convincing conception of the State that sustains the clash with these challenges and can overcome them.
In the travail of the last half century, with Bishop-Witness Cardinal Wyszyński and with Pope Saint John Paul II, Poland has given humanity two great figures, who not only reflected on this question, but have brought to it their own suffering and lived experience, and thus they continue to point the way to the future.
With my cordial gratitude for the work that their Excellencies propose in this circumstance, I impart to them all my paternal blessing,
Benedict XVI
Will the radical extremists of Islam be won over by peaceful means? By dialogue?
I wasn’t familiar with Cardinal Wyszynski, hence the link in case others are unfamiliar as well, and what I see is courageous faith in action. Going against the communist attempt to smother Catholism and her practices.
With Islam is this same approach going to be effective? Will the ideology of “submission” cave in favor of Christian ideas and more importantly knowledge of Christ… relationship with Him?
It’s not impossible since God can do the miraculous and in this tide of Islamic infiltration into Europe and beyond one must hope and pray for a miracle.
http://www.crisismagazine.com/2012/stefan-cardinal-wyszynski
Wow. Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI’s writing is beautiful.
Here, I am going to go off the rails for awhile: The Decree Against Communism is still in effect.
Perhaps the bishops of America will excommunicate the abortionists for being communists.
Roe v. Wade denied sovereign personhood to the newly conceived and disenfranchised every procreator of the office of fatherhood. Communism denies all sovereign persons of sovereign personhood, starting with the Persons of God, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Pope Pius XII’s Decree Against Communism is the sword in St. Michael’s hand. Roe v. Wade is a lesser form of communism.
Still, Islam is another form of atheist communism, denying to the individual sovereign person, sovereignty, the freedom to be whomever God, our Creator calls him to be.
The desert will bloom. The Bible promises it
The good Cardinal should be considered a candidate for sainthood. He was steadfast in the Catholic Faith against the Nazis and Communists and displayed heroic virtue.
Poland is nerly unique among nations for having fought against three of the great evils of the world..Islam, Nazism and Communism. Certainly Hungary suffered at the hands of Islam and Communism. Poland would not have survived without its deep Catholic faith, the faith displayed by the good Cardinal.
The ultimate goals of the leftists and Islamic hegemonists are to destroy the political and religious institutions of our free societies and replace them with totalitarianism and sharia. They deploy violent and nonviolent tactics to achieve their ominous objectives.
From a Real Clear Religion article 3/24/2008, “St. Francis and the Conversion of the Muslims,” Re: PF trip to Egypt. “”If we equate our religion with theirs, it only leads to confusion and contempt. As demonstrated by St Francis’s approach, Muslims are far more respectful and willing to listen to a person who acknowledges the great division that separates the two religions than to a person who says that all the religions are the same; that we all believe the same things; we all have the same faith.
“Although St. Francis was not on a formal mission of peace, converting the muslims was his attempt to bring about peace. According to one scholar, Christopher Maier, ‘”Francis like the crusaders wanted to liberate the holy places of Palestine from Muslim rule. What was different was his strategy…He wanted their total submission to the Christian faith.'” The author quotes . . .
Cardinal Wyszynski of Poland and Cardinal Mindszenty of Hungary two stalwarts of the Church during turbulent, godless times in Europe.
It is inspiring to read the Benedict VI letter. I understood every word of it unlike the current pope. It makes me wonder if PF will acknowledge the meeting and it’s results. The Poland and Hungary did not take in many, if any, of the Islamic refugees.
Isn’t this meeting a first? The Holy Spirit is involved. It gives me hope for Europe.
*interested* That sounds like a really awesome conference, and properly aimed, too.